Silver Lining
by ScreamItOutLoudd
Summary: Tiedoll is sent to find hosts. In Russia he finds Val. He convinces her to come to the Black Order, where she meets Kanda. Somehow the two become friends and their feelings for eachother continue to grow. KandaXOC
1. Found

Prologue

I am only writing this so that I have some way to document my life. And, I'd like to mention, that I really don't want to be writing this. I don't really have the time to tell my story. But since I have to do this I suppose I should supply you with some background information.

I had come to the Order when I was nine years old. It wasn't exactly a choice, but neither was I forced into this world. I figured that I had no where else to go.

I had been found by the Order in the small town on Taininka, Russia. I was living alone, having lost my parents to a horrible accident. I didn't know what had happened in the accident, only that I too should have been dead. It was a terrible feeling to be alone.

I spent most of my days wandering the streets of the town, searching for a way to get some money and food. Occasionally someone would take pity on me and I would go home with a somewhat satiated hunger. Most days, however, I went home the same way that I came; cold, tired, hungry, and penniless.

I am happy to say that the day my story starts, things turn around. My life seems it will get better. I get a home, a family, and I meet the one person who will become my everything. My silver lining.

* * *

1. Found

The cobblestoned streets clicked beneath my feet, their stones rough and uneven. A dusting of snow was falling from the sky, gradually coating the ground. I was wearing a dress and boots, no coat. All of my other clothing had been destroyed in the accident. My only possessions consisted of a bow that belonged to my father, and a picture frame of me with my parents. I kept these hidden in a corner of town that no one ever strayed to.

Like everyday before, I was alone. The people in the city would look down on me with a mixture of pity and revulsion. I couldn't blame them. I hadn't been properly clean in weeks. My hair was matted with grease and mud, my fingernails caked with dirt.

I walked with my head down, scanning the ground for dropped change. It was pathetic. I wasn't paying attention to anything around me. I had reached the curb and was about to step into the street when I felt a hand pull me back. I fell to the ground and looked straight ahead. Carriage wheels passed me by and I looked down the street at the carriage that almost ran me over.

"Careful, now!" said the man who had pulled me back. He was older, with wild gray hair and glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. The man was wearing what looked like cargo pants and a long black coat. It was frayed at the bottom and had yellow on the shoulders. There was a strange looking cross above his heart. He smiled down at me.

"Who are you?" he asked. I looked from him to the other boy with him. He was older than me, probably in his late teens. The boy was tall and muscular. He was definitely a large man. There was a set of headphones on his ears, and his eyes were gazing off into the distance. I noticed that they were clouded.

"I-I'm Valeriya Malentova," I said timidly. It was shocking that he was actually taking an interest in me. He held out a large hand. I looked at it, then at my own filthy hands. He noticed my hesitation and reached out to grasp my hand.

"Valeriya, I am General Froi Tiedoll and this is Noise Marie. Pleased to meet you." His kind words touched me. I wasn't used to people saying anything to me. The boy held out a hand and I took it. He shook it and then dropped my hand.

"Shishou, is this the place where the host should be?" he asked. I scrunched my eyebrows at his question. _Host? _

"Yes. I believe that the Innocence will tell us soon enough who the host is."

_ Innocence? Who are these people? What are they looking for?_ My mind was reeling from all of their chatter. They appeared to have forgotten me, so I took a swift look at them before darting away.

"Wait!" the man, General, called. A ruff hand caught my wrist. I turned around and the boy was holding me.

"How did you get a hold of me?" I asked. "I thought you were blind." He looked mildly startled by my statement and let go.

"I am blind," he said. "But I have excellent hearing. I heard your breathing."

I was confused. Why were they me keeping in their presence? What could they possibly want with me? I was just a lowly orphan. Nothing more.

The man reached into his bag and pulled out something green and glowing. He held it out to me and it began to pulse brightly. I looked away.

"We've found our host, Marie," he said. I took a step back. These people were crazy. I turned and ran as fast as I could.

"Don't let her get away!" I kept running, even as I heard them give chase. It was terrifying. I wanted to curl up and hide, disappear. Something caught me around the waist. I looked down to see thin strings wrapped around my torso. I couldn't step forward, the strength of the strings was so tight. I tried to break them, but they were like a silver chain, binding me. They appeared to be coming from the boys hands.

"What are you?" I screeched. The general stepped forward.

"We are exorcists."

"Exorcists?" I asked. The general looked a bit overwhelmed.

"I think we better go somewhere to talk."

* * *

We went to the hotel that Tiedoll and Marie were staying at. Tiedoll checked into his room and stated that he was going to look at some shops. He allowed me to use his room to clean up. I graciously thanked him and went inside.

I immediately went to the shower, discarding my dirty clothes on the ground and stepping into the tub. Steaming water poured from the shower head, and I reveled in the feeling of it burning on my back. I didn't even care that I was being scalded by the water. It felt so good to have the dirt washing away.

I spent a good amount of time cleaning myself in the bathroom. When I finished my shower and looked in the mirror I couldn't even recognize myself. My wet hair had a nice shine on it and my face was no longer clouded by dirt and dust. My fingernails were free of dirt and my hands looked much softer. I grabbed a toothbrush, ripped it out of its packaging and brushed my teeth.

A soft knock resounded on the door. Startled, I dropped the toothbrush in the sink and uttered a shriek.

"Valeriya? Are you okay?" came Tiedoll's muffled voice.

"I'm fine."

"I have something for you. Just open the door a bit and I'll shove it through." I crossed the bathroom and cracked open the door. A roughly wrapped package was shoved through.

"When you're ready we can talk," Tiedoll said. I thanked him and shut the door. Then I sat down on the toilet seat and ripped the brown paper off the parcel.

A pair of shoes fell to the ground. They were black and shiny, with a buckle on the toe and a tiny, thick heel. I picked them up and cradled them in my hands. They were so perfect and new. It shocked me that he had bought them for me. I looked back at the package. There was more.

A few undergarments were present, along with a pair of thick, wool stockings. I pulled them on and stuck my feet in the shoes. A perfect fit. There was also a dress of red fabric with small black flowers printed on the fabric. I slipped the dress over my head. It fell just past my knees. The sleeves cuffed at my wrists, with the fabric poufed out from my elbow to the cuff. A black back of fabric kept the rest of the dress pulled in at my waist. It buttoned in the back from my waist to my neck.

I looked in the mirror. It was shocking to see myself look so presentable. I hadn't worn new clothing in ages. I pulled a brush quickly through my dirty blonde hair and opened the door.

Tiedoll and Marie were sitting on the couch in the room. When he saw me, Tiedoll motioned me over. I stepped quietly on the carpet and sat on the edge of the bed across from him. He smiled at me.

"You look much better, I must say," he said. I grinned.

"Thank you so much for these. I really appreciate it. Are you sure it's okay that I have these?" I was still a little nervous about how much it must have cost.

"Of course. I wasn't about to let you wander around in those filthy clothes. They hardly looked warm enough. I have a cape for you as well."

"Oh no! I couldn't," I protested.

"Really, I insist. Now are you ready to get some answers?" I nodded. He smiled before telling me everything.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Not to sound conceited, but I thought I did pretty well. It's better than my other Man fic, which I am still working on, by the way. This fic is requiring so much research and thought. I have tons of ideas for it and I had to design a uniform and Innocence for Val.**

**Val is based off of one of my good friends. She is Russian and her name really is Valeriya. I changed the last name of course. Val is amazing. She is going to write a story about me and Kanda too. She even drew me a picture of me and Kanda and it is amazing! I am still so excited over it. Maybe I'll figure out a way to post it as a chapter sometime. It deserves to be seen.**

**Anyway, enough rambling. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will post as soon as I can on both my stories. Please review! I really want to know what you thought. Don't leave before reviewing. Just kidding. Kind of.**


	2. Innocence and Exorcists

2. Innocence and Exorcists

"I will attempt to explain this as best as I can, so bear with me if I leave something out," Tiedoll began. I sat up straighter, listening with rapt attention.

"Nearly a century ago a cube was found. It contained a prophecy on an ancient civilization's 'End of the world'. It also was host to instructions on how to use an material called 'the Crystal of God,' which possesses powers known as Innocence."

"So I have this Innocence, right?" I interrupted. Tiedoll nodded.

"I believe so. Your Innocence was looking for you. It led me to you, so that you may become an exorcist."

"What's an exorcist?"

"Those chosen by God. They alone can wield the power of the Innocence to its full capacity. We take the Innocence and process it to form an anti-akuma weapon. The job of an exorcist is to rid the world of akuma."

"So you want me to be a demon killer?" I asked with skepticism. I was only a little girl. How could I possibly kill a demon?

"Yes. God has chosen you. According to the prophecy the Millennium Earl will once again bring about the destruction of the world. That is why we exorcists exist, to prevent the 'Three Days of Darkness' from coming once more," he concluded.

I looked at my hands, folded in my lap. Were they capable of killing? Could I endure that? Questions spiraled in my mind. I wasn't sure what to do. Nothing was sure anymore.

"Do I have to become an exorcist?" I asked. "If the Innocence chose me, is it already decided?"

Tiedoll's eyebrows knit together as he thought how to best answer my question. "I can not force you to become and exorcist," he said finally.

"I need to think," I said. Tiedoll stood up.

"That's fine. We'll head down to the hotel restaurant to eat. You can join us when you are ready. Come Mari," he said, motioning for him to follow. They left the room.

I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't know if I wanted to live a life of killing. True, I would be killing for the sake of the human race, but wasn't it still killing? Or was I just looking at this situation the wrong way? I sat on the bed and thought about my predicament.

Finally I knew what to do. I walked out of the room and down to the restaurant. I could see Tiedoll and Mari talking over their food. I stepped up to the table.

"I know what I want to do," I began. "I will be an exorcist."

Tiedoll's smile probably could have killed me. It was so bright and happy looking. I smiled sheepishly back at him. Mari was smiling too. I sat down in the booth.

"Excellent!" Tiedoll was saying. "We will have to go to headquarters as soon as possible!"

"Headquarters?"

"Ah! I forgot! Headquarters is the Black Order. It is where we exorcists go to get missions. Most exorcists live in headquarters, so you should meet plenty of people!"

"When do I get my Innocence?" I asked. Tiedoll and Mari laughed.

"Soon. We need to make a weapon for you first. That will be taken care of once we arrive at headquarters."

"What are your Innocence's?"

"Mine is Noel Organon," Noise said. He held up his hands and I saw that he was wearing a silver band on each of his fingers. "My strings come from these rings when I invoke my Innocence. Also my headphones are made with Innocence, so I am able to hear pretty much anything. I can hear akuma gatherings, people crying, and tons of other stuff."

"Wow."

"Mine is Maker of Heaven. I can...um... control, in a sense, nature. I can also create giant beings to fight the akuma."

"So everyone's Innocence is different?"

"Yes. Well now that we've made up our mind, we should go to your home and get your things, no?" Tiedoll said.

"I- I don't, um," I stuttered. "I don't have a home." Looks of shock crossed their faces.

"What? Where are you living? Where's your family?"

"I don't have a family. They died in an accident three years ago."

"And no one's taken you in?"

"I run away," I admitted, ashamed. "I've been living in an alley on the edge of town. I have a few things I'd like to get though."

"Okay. Lead the way."

It was much warmer outside in my coat. I was able to walk without hugging my arms to my chest. The change was welcome. It was in good spirits that I led the two exorcists to my little home.

We turned into the alley. I pointed at a cardboard box with some ratty curtains occupying the space.

"That is where I sleep most nights," I stated. I stepped behind the box and pulled up a crate that was protecting my few belongings. I picked up the picture and passed it to Tiedoll.

"That is my mother and father," I said pointing to a beautiful woman and handsome male. I had my fathers curly dirty-blonde hair, and my mothers gray eyes.

"They look nice," Tiedoll said with a smile. I nodded my head up and down.

"They were." I grabbed my baby blanket and stuffed bear. Then I stood up.

"That's it," I said. Tiedoll nodded.

"Mari, could you please put these things in the suitcase," he said, passing my things to him. "Are you ready?" he asked me.

"Yes. I'm ready to be an exorcist."

* * *

**Sorry it took so long to post. I've been busy, even though I shouldn't be, since its break, but what can I do.**

**I hope you liked this chapter. It is kind of short, but I think it was pretty good. I'm hoping to introduce Kanda within the next two chapters so bear with me.**

**Please review! Thanks!**


	3. The Black Order

3. The Black Order

We passed quickly into the passageway. The door slammed behind us. Darkness engulfed our bodies. Suddenly a flame burst through the darkness. Tiedoll had lit a candle.

"This way," he said, leading Mari and myself forward. We stopped when we reached a dock. It was much more well lit here, and Tiedoll blew out the candle. He gestured towards a gondola rocking in a steady motion. "Hop on."

I attempted climb unsteadily onto the gondola. It tilted this way and that as I managed to get both feet planted on the bottom of the rocking boat. Unfortunately, Tiedoll and Mari decided to "hop on" literally. The boat pitched and I found myself plunging headfirst into the water.

Hands grasped my own and I was pulled from the murky water. Coughing and sputtering, I lay on the bottom of the boat. I could feel it rocking slightly as we moved forward. I looked up into Tiedoll's smiling face.

"Sorry," I said. "I'm really clumsy." This made him laugh.

"Don't worry about it. You have nothing to be sorry for. _We," _he added, pointing to himself and Mari, who was steering the gondola forward, " are the ones who made you fall."

I smiled at him. I knew that I had nothing to apologize for, but I couldn't help myself. I was constantly saying sorry for things that weren't even my fault. I liked to keep everyone happy.

I sat up and looked around. We seemed to be in a sort of underground canal. The stone walls curved with the river. I looked up only to find that the ceiling was too high to make out. I crawled over to the edge of the boat and let my hand trail in the water. I leaned over the edge to watch the ripples flow away from the boat.

The boat bumped against something. This time, when I almost fell out again, Tiedoll was ready. He caught me just before I slipped into the river. He lifted me up and placed me on another dock. Mari was already out and tyeing the gondola to the dock.

"Welcome to the Black Order," he said. Then he addressed Tiedoll. "Is she going to be your apprentice?"

"I believe so," he replied.

"What? Apprentice?"

"Every exorcist is trained by a general. I am one of five generals. I'm hoping to have you join my group. I have two others aside from Noise. They are both about your age. Daisya Barry and Kanda Yu. I think you'll like them."

He stepped around me and grabbed the suitcase. "Well, let's head up."

I started to get nervous as we made our way up a staircase. Questions flowed through my head. What if this was all a mistake? What if I wasn't really an exorcist? Would they leave me on the streets again? Would they like me? My mind was spinning with worry. I clung to the back of Tiedoll's jacket.

"Don't worry," he told me. "It's all going to be fine. You'll see."

We reached the landing in no time at all, it seemed. I sucked in a deep breath. Mari laughed, and I knew that he had heard me. I let it out shakily. A big stone hallway greeted us. It slipped into a curve ahead of us, blocking my view of what was to come.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we twisted around a corner.

"We are going to see the new supervisor. Chief Komui," Tiedoll said. "He's nice. A bit eccentric, but nice. I like him."

We entered an open space. The whole hall twisted in a circle. I stepped up to the railing and looked down. The darkness below me seemed to go on forever. I stepped back, knowing that with my luck I would fall into the abyss below. Tiedoll was already walking away when I turned back. I ran to catch up with him.

"Where did Mari go?" I asked, as the exorcist had suddenly vanished.

"He mentioned the cafeteria and his room , I believe. This way," he said. Leading me through a door. Heads popped up all around.

"General! Welcome back!" said a man with light brown spiky hair. He was dressed in brown pants and a white dress shirt and tie. He had a cup in his hand and took a long sip from the straw.

"Reever! Good to see you! Is the supervisor here?"

"Yeah. Lets see if I can wake him up," the man, Reever, said. He led us to an office space overflowing with paperwork and books. A man was sleeping face down on the desk. Reever took his shoulder and pushed him.

"Chief! Chief!" he repeated. Then he sighed. "Sorry about this. They are taking Lenalee away again," he said. The man shot up and immediately started crying.

"Lenalee! Stop them! Don't let them take my precious Lenalee!" he sobbed. Then he caught sight of us standing there. Tiedoll looked rather amused. I myself was a little horrified.

The man straightened up and looked at Reever. "Thank you for awaking me, Section Leader Reever. I'll take it from here," he said as he straightened the beret on his shoulder length black hair. His glasses perched at the end of his nose and he was wearing a coat much like Tiedoll's, only his was all white. Both had the strange cross on the breast above the heart. He stepped out from behind the desk and extended his hand to the General.

"Tiedoll," he said. "Welcome back."

"It's good to be back," Tiedoll replied customarily. The man smiled at me. I looked down.

"And who are you?" he asked, crouching down on the balls of his feet, knees bent. He was still smiling.

"I'm Val," I replied shakily. He reached out and grasped my hand in a handshake.

"I'm Komui! Pleased to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you too," I said. Tiedoll cleared his throat. Komui stood up and turned to face him. Tiedoll gestured him closer and when Komui leaned in, he whispered in his ear. I watched as Komui's face showed a thin mask of shock, his eyes widening just barely. I saw him glance out of the corner of his eye at me.

"Well. That is excellent news! Oh, I'm so excited!"

"Of course she will be my apprentice, right?" Tiedoll asked. Komui nodded vigorously.

"Yes, yes. She will have to see Hevlaska straight away! We need to form an anti-akuma weapon for her," he said in a rush. I realized that Tiedoll must have mentioned that I was to be an exorcist. I stood there in my damp clothes while Komui raved on and on about how Lenalee, whoever she was, would be so excited to have another girl here. He was still chanting when I sneezed.

"Oh dear," Tiedoll said. He rolled his eyes at me, silently apologizing for the man's obsession with this Lenalee girl. "We need to get her warm, dry clothes first. Lenalee's clothes would be too small. The girl is a twig. I think we had better just borrow something of Kanda's for now. He is closest to her size. We'll meet you in Hevlaska's chamber, Komui," Tiedoll said.

He ushered me from the room. We walked down the hall. I was trembling, from both the cold and wetness of my clothes, and the fact that I was to meet another exorcist. I was incredibly nervous. Tiedoll must have noticed my fear.

"Don't worry," he said.

"Are you sure it's fine for me to borrow some of...um... Kanda's clothes?" I asked, momentarily forgetting his name. Tiedoll smiled.

"Of course. Yu-kun won't mind at all."

* * *

**I liked this chapter. Do you think I portrayed Komui right? I don't think I did too bad. **

**In case you are wondering I changed what they say to wake Komui up because I figured that it would be over the top for them to say she's getting married when she's nine years old. **

**Please Review! Kanda's coming next chapter!**


	4. Yu and Me

4. Yu and Me

We arrived in the circular hallway again. Tiedoll led me to a door, where he knocked one solitary time before entering. It was empty, save a twin sized bed with an iron headboard, a nightstand on which stood an hourglass with a lotus bloom tucked inside, and a tall wardrobe. It didn't look to me to be very inviting. _Who would want such a gloomy room?_

Tiedoll strode into the room and waltzed right up to the wardrobe. He wrenched the oak doors open and I was greeted by the sight of traditional Japanese clothing mixed with clothing of the same black material as Tiedoll's jacket. The bottom was neatly lined with a pair of black boots, some _zori _and _geta_, and a pair of black slippers.

He took out a light blue Japanese style shirt. It had a high neck with long baggy sleeves. A length of maroon fabric wrapped around the waist and it was slit up both sides. A pair of navy ninja pants were on the hanger as well.

Handing them to me he said, "Just take a minute to change and then we will send your wet clothes to be washed and dried." He mumbled something else, but I didn't hear it. Then he stepped out the door.

I quickly changed into the dry clothes. They were a little big for me, but I wasn't going to complain. At least they were dry. I gathered the wet clothes in my arms and stepped into the hall.

Tiedoll was gone. I looked left and right, but he was not anywhere in sight. I started to feel panicky. The halls were empty, so I decided not to go anywhere. With my luck I would end up lost or falling down into "The Pit," as I had deemed the wide black hole in the middle of the hall. I sat down with my back against the wall, hugged my knees to my chest, and let everything that happened to me in the past three years come rushing into my head. I started to cry within seconds.

"Che. Stop crying," a voice commanded. I looked up into the face of a boy. He had shoulder length black hair, eyes dark as midnight, and a scowl on his face. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. His scowl became even more pronounced.

"Hey! Are those my clothes? Why are you wearing them? Who let you in my room? What the hell!? Who the hell are you?" he yelled in a constant stream of questions. I shrank back as more tears came. This must be Kanda. I thought briefly about what Tiedoll had said and decided that he had lied to me. Kanda _did _care that I was borrowing his clothes.

"Return my belongings to me at once, or you shall face the wrath of my Mugen!" he cried.

"Tiedoll said you wouldn't care," I whispered. The name seemed to spark something, interest maybe, in the boy. His eyes showed recognition with the name and he took a step back from me.

"The old man is here?" he asked, distracted. Kanda continued on without waiting for an answer. "Damn. I thought he'd be gone longer." Then he seemed to remember that I was here. He turned to me and a scowl formed on his delicate, but strong face.

"I'll let you wear my clothes for now," he said in a superior tone, "but make sure they get washed at least five times before you give them back."

My eyes widened at his last statement. Was this really the Kanda Yu that the general seemed to be so fond of? He seemed to me to be a jerk. I looked away, before pushing myself up.

"Why don't I just burn them for you?" I said angrily. He thought for a moment.

"Good idea. I don't need your germs investing my closet," he told me with a smirk. I gritted my teeth together and held back the tears that threatened to fall. Why was he being so mean to me? I didn't even know him, and vice versa. There was no reason for this.

"You don't even know me," I said quietly. He cocked his head to the side and let out a low chuckle.

"Your point?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows up in a swift motion. I was shocked at his attitude. I stood still for a moment, unsure of what to say. Part of me wanted to slap this boy for being so rude, the other part wanted to run away and find somewhere to hide. Luckily I didn't have to make that decision.

"Yu-kun!" came a rough growl. Tiedoll was back. In his hands was a pair of black slippers. He tossed them to me. "I think those should fit," he said. I slipped them on and was thankful for the barrier between my feet and the stone floor.

"I see you've met my new apprentice, Yu," Tiedoll said. Kanda cringed.

"Don't call me that!" he commanded. Tiedoll just laughed.

"Val, this is Kanda Yu of my group. Yu, this is Val. She will be joining you in training."

Kanda's lips pursed and he glared at the wall. Tiedoll just shook his head.

"Well, aren't you going to greet your new comrade?"

Kanda looked at me with a deathly glare. "Hello. Please refrain from taking my clothes as long as you are here. I don't appreciate your rudeness."

"Nice to meet you to," I said sarcastically.

"What a happy introduction," Tiedoll said glumly. Kanda glared at him and I sighed and looked down at the floor. Happy indeed.

* * *

**Sorry it took so long to post. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but at least I got one up. I feel like this chapter is missing something.**

**Anyway, I will try to post as soon as possible. Please review!**


	5. First Mission

5. First Mission  
My eleventh birthday came and went in no time at all. My first two years at the Black Order were filled with training and learning. I was thrown into "homeschooling", so my days were never left with empty time. I was always studying and doing my homework in my room or training with Kanda, Marie(when he wasn't on a mission), and Daisya in the training room.

Daisya was new to the Order. He came from a small seaside town. When he arrived with Tiedoll he brought only a doorbell and a small pack of belongings. Charity Bell became a well know feature of the boy. It was often launched through the Order's halls, leaving destruction in its wake.

After my first terrifying meeting with Hevlaska, Komui and I decided on my anti-akuma weapon. It was a bow and arrow. The bow was of a sturdy material of which I was unsure. Carved into the face of the bow were intricate cherry blossoms. They danced on a branch that curved up and down the bow. Innocence laced arrows were placed in a quiver that hung on my back. In a holster on my hip was an Innocence charged dagger, which Komui said would be helpful if I ever was in a close range attack.

Now, my bow sat by my side on the purple couch in Komui's office. Next to it lay Mugen, Kanda's deadly katana type anti-akuma weapon. The exorcist in question sat on the other side, legs crossed and arms folded, glaring off into the opposite direction. The long jacket of his uniform billowed out on the couch, mixing with the purple upholstery.

I shrugged on my own knee length jacket, buttoning it up to my throat. My boots were zipped up securely over my pants and a black scarf was tied around my neck. My long curly hair hung around my face as I stared at my twiddling thumbs.

"I assume you know why you're here," Komui addressed us. Neither of us spoke, although the reason was clear enough. We were going on our first mission without the General. And me and Kanda would be going on the mission together.

When I first met Kanda, I found it extremely difficult to maintain a polite demeanor with him. He, at times, was unbearable. He was always calling me names and insulting me. When we trained he made a point to tell me how weak I was. More often than not I would cry myself to sleep.

Now, though, his insults barely affected me. I had become so accustomed to them that I barely flinched when he callously tossed his words at me. Occasionally I would retort back, but mostly I just ignored him and when about my business as usual. I admit, though, that I was a little jealous of the way he treated Lenalee. I could tell that he didn't exactly like her, but he was at least _civil_ towards her. It hurt me that he was somewhat nicer to her.

"You two are here because today I am assigning you your first mission!" Komui singsonged. I managed to smile at him. It was difficult, because the prospect of going on a mission with just Kanda was disconcerting. I wasn't the least bit excited.

Kanda seemed to feel the same way. He sighed and stared even more intensely at the wall. His head turned towards mine and his glare probably should have killed me. I looked away.

"Where?" he asked.

"In Berlin. We suspect Innocence is located there and we need you two to find it before the Millennium Earl gets word and sends even more akuma."

The Millennium Earl. Just hearing his name made me shiver. He was one of the first people whom I learned about upon coming to the Order. The Earl fed on a persons sadness and fear, turning it into machines, weapons. In other words, when someone was grieving he showed up and turned their loved one into a demon. Then he would order the akuma to kill the aggrieved person and take his form. It was awful and I felt sickened just thinking about it. I pushed the Earl from my mind and focused once again on Komui.

"As of now," he said, "we suspect only a small gathering of about eight Level One akuma. I'm sure you two are capable enough to handle it."

Kanda stood up. "When do we leave?" he asked.

"Now. The train will be leaving the station in two hours time, so you need to go into the city and board it. Good luck."

I followed Kanda out of the room. We walked down the hall, me slightly behind him. I nearly ran into his back when he abruptly stopped. He turned around and shot me a look. Then he folded his arms and spoke.

"Don't think that I am going to jeopardize the mission at any time to save your weak ass. If you get into trouble you can get yourself out of it. Don't expect me to help."

I pushed past him and ran towards the underground canal. Tears gushed from my eyes. How mean. I knew right then and there that this mission would prove to be the hardest one that I would ever have.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry that it was kind of short. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer.**

**Please review!**


	6. Level Two

6. Level Two

The train screeched to a halt and I nearly fell out of my seat from the jerking motion. I heard a snort from across the compartment and knew that Kanda was laughing at me. I took a deep breath to calm myself and keep from snapping at him. The start of the voyage to Berlin had consisted of me ignoring snide comments from Kanda. Eventually he realized that I wasn't going to fight back and defend myself, and he had lapsed into silence.

We stepped off the train and onto the platform. I set my suitcase down on the ground while Kanda went to ask for directions to the hotel we were staying at. I looked around the platform and immediately felt out of place in my exorcists uniform. I picked up my suitcase and crossed my arms, hiding the Rose Cross on my jacket.

"Let's go," Kanda commanded upon his return. "We're meeting the Finder at the hotel. Then we can get information on the location of the Innocence."

_And the akuma gathering,_ I thought nervously. I followed the raven haired exorcist reluctantly, unwilling to work with him on this mission. We wove through crowds of people on our way to the hotel. My bow was slung across my back. I noticed that Kanda was gripping the hilt on his katana. He too was nervous about the mission.

I looked around the street, my eyes lingering on every happy smile. I watched beautiful women laugh daintily at a joke made by one of many men trying to woo them. I saw little children playing ball and merchants selling their products. Everyone looked so nice to me and that was what scared me most. I didn't know who in this crowd was an akuma. I couldn't tell if it was the gentle looking old lady sitting in a rocking chair or the big man attempting to sell a pig roast. Anyone could be an akuma. I had to be ready at any moment to fight.

"It's right here," Kanda snapped, grabbing onto my jacket to keep me from walking any farther past the hotel. I blushed and followed him inside. The dimly lit lobby did nothing to calm my nerves. I almost clutched onto the back of Kanda's coat before I realized that he was Kanda and probably would attack me with Mugen if I did that.

After we checked in we climbed the steps to the third level. Kanda took the key from his pocket and put it in the lock, turning it sharply to the left. The lock clicked and the door swung open.

"Ahh!" I screeched. I jumped backward. A man was standing in the doorway of the room with some sort of machine aimed at me and Kanda. I reached for my Innocence, but then I recognized the uniform. It was our Finder.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized. "I wasn't prepared for that."

"Che."

"It's alright. I probably shouldn't have been standing in the doorway. I heard the lock click and thought maybe it was an akuma." He smiled at me and stepped back, allowing Kanda and I to enter the room. There were two twin sized beds, a good thing due to the fact that we had to share a room while here, and a small dressing table with a pitcher and bowl to clean up with.

"I'll leave you two to get settled and wash up, then we can talk about our situation. I will be waiting for you in the hotel restaurant." With that the Finder left the room.

"Did he ever say his name?" I asked Kanda.

"Does it matter?" he replied.

"Of course. He's our comrade too," I pointed out. This led to Kanda snorting in disgust.

"How so? It's not like he can do anything important."

"Yes he can! He's the one that tracked the Innocence here, isn't he?" I argued. I thought I made a good point, but Kanda just rolled his eyes.

"Can he destroy the akuma trying to get it?" I stayed silent. No, the Finders couldn't exorcise akuma. Kanda smirked. "My point has been made."

I wanted to argue back that that was the dumbest point ever made, but I knew that it would be useless trying to knock some sense into that boy's thick skull. I turned on my heel and stalked into the bathroom. There I washed my face and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

Since coming to the Order I had gained back my weight. Instead of having my ribs show I was now at a healthy size. I wasn't fat, nor was I a twig. My eyes seemed to regain a little bit of the light they once had when I was still living with my parents. I was happier here than I ever dreamed I could be.

I stepped out of the bathroom and picked up my bow. Kanda was sitting on the bed with his legs crossed and arms folded. When I entered the room he stood up and placed Mugen in the sheath on his belt. I made my way to the door.

"Let's just hurry and get this over with," I said.

"With pleasure," Kanda replied, pushing his way past me. I resisted the urge to jump on his back and strangle him and his ego.

* * *

"Innocence, activate!" I cried. The arrows in my quiver glowed with a red light and I nocked an arrow on my bow and pulled back the string. I aimed at the Level One. "Arrows of Despair!" The arrow glowed an even brighter red and I released my hold on the string. It soared through the air and lodged itself in the akuma. The machine turned to me, pointed its guns, and then blew up. The Innocence had done its job.

I spun around, another arrow ready, and saw Kanda. He had activated and was fighting the akuma as well. He invoked Kaichu Ichigen. The beasts flew at the akuma and destroyed it quickly. Kanda sliced through another.

I heard the sounds of a gun locking on its target, whipped around, and shot my arrow. It pierced the akuma behind me and I shielded my face from the blast. Too close to the explosion, I was flung backwards. I slid on the rocky ground and felt my skin be scratched. I looked down and saw blood coating my knees and hands. Shakily, I stood up and looked around. The akuma swarm still had six members. Komui had lied. The Earl already sent more.

It took me a moment to realize that the akuma were surrounding Kanda. He was dodging bullets and slicing through the air simultaneously. Two akuma blew up. I saw another turn and soar off somewhere else. I aimed, shot, and missed. Then I realized that it was heading towards the town. I glanced at Kanda. He had destroyed another one and had only two left. I assumed that he could handle them by himself and I tore off after the rogue akuma.

Once in the town I completely lost sight of the akuma. _Did it change form? _I wondered. I hoped that it didn't. I had no clue what it looked like and I couldn't walk around town with a nocked bow and arrow. I slung my bow across my back and attempted to stroll through the streets calmly. But inside, I was terrified. I fingered the dagger in its sheath on my belt.

An explosion brought me running into an alleyway. I looked on the ground and saw a pile of dust covered by clothing. Someone had just been killed by an akuma. I scanned the alleyway, but it was empty. How was it possible for the akuma to kill and flee that quickly?

"Looking for me?" came a voice. I spun around and was disgusted by what I saw. It was definitely an akuma. The thing had a clown face and body, the hands were large and the fingers were razor sharp. I stepped back.

"Who are you?" it asked. I turned and vomited in the nearest garbage bin. I choked back a sob. The creature was sickening and I couldn't stand to look at it. Was this a Level Two? Could I even fight that?

"You're an exorcist," the akuma answered itself. "You'll make a decent snack. You see, I've just leveled up and it's filled me with such a desire to kill." It took a step towards me and I reached for an arrow. I grabbed one and, without my bow, threw it at the demon. It hit him and he screeched in pain, but I knew that that wasn't enough to kill him. I needed Kanda. We would have to work together to kill this one. I spun around and ran.

People stared at me as I ran through the streets. I managed to trip and fall numerous times, but I just got up and ignored the pain and blood. I needed to reach Kanda before the akuma got me or him. I pushed through the crowds, causing people to yell angrily after me. Any other time I would apologize, but this was an emergency.

Finally I reached the field where the akuma swarm had been. Kanda was sitting in the shade underneath a tree, his back leaning against it. At the sound of my running feet he looked up.

"Finally," he said. "Where the hell'd you go? I got the Innocence."

Through my shallow breathing I managed to speak. "The akuma leveled up."

"What!? What are you talking about?"

"A Level One flew towards town, so I followed it and when I found it it was a Level Two," I explained. Kanda cursed loudly.

"You idiot! Way to go! What are we going to do now?" he yelled at me. I cringed and ignored him.

"Where's the Finder?" I asked, looking around. "Maybe he knows what to do."

"He's dead. He got shot by one of the Level Ones." Maybe it was the way Kanda said it so indifferently, but my heart began to ache for this man that I barely knew. I chocked back a sob. Kanda glared at me.

"Get used to it. Death happens all the time. Surely you know that considering that your parents are dead." He smirked at me and I suddenly didn't care about being nice. I mustered up all of my strength and punched him right in the stomach. He doubled over swearing and held his stomach.

"What the hell! Val, that freaking hurt, you idiot!" he yelled at me.

"Well, well. What's this? Exorcists fighting each other? How delightful!"

Kanda and I both looked up at the sound of the eerie voice. There, leaning against the tree, was the Level Two akuma. And he was smiling deviously.

"Shit," Kanda said.

* * *

**I like this chapter. I think its pretty good and its rather long, so that's a plus! Please review and tell me what you think. I love reading them.**

**Dearest Val, Could you please tell me if I have been portraying you well enough. Send me a message on Facebook or email me. Also tell me what you thought of the chapter. Also, can you ice skate?**


	7. Friends

7 Friends

"This is all your fault!" Kanda yelled, dodging an attack by the akuma. He did a cartwheel in the air and landed surely on his feet. He bent his knees into a defensive stance and held his katana in front of him pointed towards the Level Two. Thankfully, both of us knew not to underestimate the demon, thanks to many encounters with them while on missions with the General.

"My fault?" I called back incredulously. "How is this my fault?" I nocked an arrow and released it. At the last second the akuma dodged it. I huffed a loud sigh at my opponent.

"I don't know! It just is!" Kanda said senselessly, once again blaming me for something beyond my control. I rolled my eyes at his stupidity.

"If you had killed it before it got away we wouldn't be in this mess!" he said in an attempt to make better sense. I ignored him and shot another arrow. It flew through the air and stuck in the akuma's chest. The Level Two screamed in pain.

"Why you-" it started, but Kanda had invoked Kaichu Ichigen and the swarm of underworld insects launched itself on the demon. I nocked another arrow and released my hold on the feathers. I was shaking so badly, though, that the arrow shot in the complete opposite direction. The akuma reached out with one deadly arm and I squeezed my eyes shut. There wasn't enough time for me to even protect myself. I expected to be blown off of my feet. My eyes open and I saw that Kanda had jumped in the way. The akuma used its razor sharp nails to slash across Kanda's chest.

Blood spurted from the open wound. I watched in horror as Kanda fell limply to the ground. We needed to get him help now. The demon's blood poison was probably coursing through his veins right now. All I could think of was that my comrade was going to die. I took aim with an arrow and released my hold on the string. The arrow soared into the akuma's heart. The demon cried out in agony and took a shaky step forward.

"You really think that you can kill me?" it asked. I nodded.

"Yes. Right now Innocence is flowing through your veins. Soon all of your blood will be purified and you will cease to exist."

"I won't leave without taking you with me!" it snarled. It lunged out and smacked my face. Luckily it didn't use the tips of its fingers, which would have injected the poison into the blood, but I still cried out in pain and blood ran down my face and neck. It raised its hand again and made to pierce my heart. I stiffened, preparing myself for the blow that I would be unable to prevent. I closed my eyes tightly. No blow came. I opened them.

The akuma was staring at its stomach, from which a silver blade was protruding. The akuma looked behind him in shock. Kanda had managed to get up and attack from behind.

"You! You should be dead!" it cried.

"Che. As if I'd die so easily. Now shut up and die!" He turned his katana and brought it up in a swift motion through the akuma's head. It exploded and disappeared.

"Finally," Kanda said. He looked at me and then crumbled to the ground unconscious. I could have sworn I saw the whisper of a smile on his lips before he fainted.

"Kanda!" I yelled, running to his side. I looked at his wounds. He was still bleeding, but not as profusely. I managed to get him on my back and I made my way as quickly as possible back to the town and to the hospital there.

* * *

I touched the bandage on my face from where the nurses had patched up the wound given to me by the Level Two. Upon arriving at the hospital the nurses had quickly taken custody of Kanda and took him away to be treated. Then another nurse had cleaned and bandaged the cuts on my hands, knees, and face.

I was thankful that they didn't ask any questions. How would I be able to explain why two young children had come into the hospital injured and one unconscious, with deadly weapons? It wasn't like they'd believe me if I told them that we were exorcists.

I was sitting in the waiting room in a rather comfortable chair. After getting cleaned up I managed to find a phone to connect my golem to and contact Komui. We were to stay here for two more days while we waited for a Finder to arrive and escort us back to the Order.

Now a nurse came into the waiting room to stand in front of me. She looked at her clipboard before addressing me.

"Are you Val?" she asked. I nodded.

"Mr. Kanda has requested your presence in his room," she told me. I nodded again and stood up. _Kanda called me Val? He asked for me?_ I was a little shocked that he would actually ask for me. It wasn't like he made his dislike of me a secret.

"That's his room," the nurse said and I thanked her before entering. Kanda was laying in the bed, bandages on his face and torso. He looked up when I entered.

"I contacted Komui," I said. "A Finder is coming to pick us up in two days. Will you be able to leave by then?"

"Yes. I'm ready to leave _now._ Stupid nurse wouldn't believe me when I told her I'd be completely healed by tomorrow."

"How?"

"How what?"

"How could you possibly be healed so soon? And why didn't the akuma's poison affect you?" I asked. It was a miracle that he was even completely conscious right now. I waited for him to answer. He looked all around the room before his eyes finally landed on me.

"I can't tell you," he said. "Its personal."

"Fine." I didn't want to press the subject. I was rather liking him being civil towards me and I didn't want to jinx my good fortune.

"Val?" he said.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you."

I think I might have gone into a coma. Kanda was _apologizing_? I looked at him, confused and suspicious. Was he trying to insult me again.

"I really do mean it," he said, as if reading my thoughts. "I'm getting tired of always being mean to you."

"I forgive you."

"Thanks." We sat in silence for a moment. Then I decided to speak.

"So, do you think we can try to be friends?" I asked, hopeful. He contemplated for a moment. Then I think I may have seen the first real smile to ever grace Kanda's face.

"Sure."

* * *

**YAY! Friends at last! I hope everyone is happy with this chapter! Please review, and if you've got time you should check out my Oneshot called Cherry Blossoms Fall. It is a KandaxLenalee story.**

**I will post again as soon as I can.**


	8. A Real Friend

8

"You know," he said, sitting up and looking at me, "I don't think I've ever had a real friend before." I sat up too and took a good look at him. His angular face was striking and his hair had now grown out past his shoulders. The biggest difference, though, were his eyes. They were the same onyx color, but they showed no hate when he looked at me.

We were outside in the grounds of the Order. It was a beautiful spring day and the sun was raining warmth down on the cliff. I knew that this day would probably be the last rain free say for a while, if the clouds in the distance were any indication.

It had been a year since the day that Kanda and I became friends. At first it was a rocky start with Kanda always snapping at me, but we eventually were able to become pretty close. I told him everything about myself and he told me pretty much everything about himself. When I was sad I was able to escape my pain just by being with him. Kanda had kind of become my sanctuary.

With being Kanda's friend I learned a lot of things. I knew that he didn't have any parents, and he would always mention the Asia Branch when the subject was brought up. Then he would be abruptly silent and I learned that it was useless to prompt him for more. The only thing I didn't know about Kanda was what the lotus in his room was and how he was able to heal so quickly.

Yuu had arrived back to the Order from a mission late last night and he had been bloody and battered. I couldn't tell if it was his blood, however, as most of his cuts had already healed. The only indication that he had even been injured was the thin scar currently residing on his neck. It was slightly raised, but I knew that it could be gone within the hour. I didn't know how he was able to heal so fast. I had asked the question so many times that he eventually threatened to run me through with Mugen. Needless to say I stopped asking him about it.

"What about Marie or Daisya? Or Lenalee?" I asked. He crossed his arms across his chest and sighed.

"Che. Marie is in his twenties. I highly doubt that he would want to hang out with a thirteen year old. And Daisya gets on my nerves. Lenalee's alright, but she's always so happy, it gets kind of annoying."

I was glad that we had finally become friends. With Kanda everything was simple. He said everything as he saw it. He was more open with me than even the general. I enjoyed talking to him, telling him my secrets. And he listened.

"Daisya's not that bad," I argued. "And Lenalee's really sweet." Kanda's frown became more pronounced.

"They're annoying."

"You think everyone's annoying," I reminded him. He shook his head.

"Not true. I don't think you're annoying."

"Aw! Kanda!" I teased. He blushed.

"I didn't mean it like that!" he yelled. "You're annoying to, but I just have a better tolerance for you than for them." His face was red and he glared off in the opposite direction with his arms folded across his chest. I could see that his knuckles were white.

"I'm just teasing you," I attempted to relax him. He turned his glare on me.

"Well don't!" he snapped. I recoiled and his face softened.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

"It's okay."

He stretched his arms out in front of him, fingers spread wide. He studied his hands, turning them this way and that. Then he bowed his head and spoke.

"I'm trying to be nice," he said, voice only just higher than a whisper. I cocked my head to the side and listened intently. "I just...I don't know. I'm not used to _having_ to be nice. I always pushed people away and was mean. The Asia Branch was hard on me, I think. Experiments lead me to not trust anyone. Which is why I'm probably mean to everyone else."

"Experiments?" I asked.

"Damn. I said too much. That's not something I want to get into. So just leave it," he said. I nodded. I probably would have continued if not for the shadow that I saw pass onto his face when he mentioned the Asia Branch. It must have been a really hard time for him. I hoped that I would find out eventually what it was about the branch that scared Kanda so.

When he continued to gaze in the other direction I decided that it was time to cheer him up.

"Hey. I challenge you to a match," I said. He turned to me and grinned.

"You're on!"

"Don't go easy on me," I told him.

"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

The ceiling of the training room looked down on me. It was kind of like it was mocking me. I lay on the ground and stared up at it. Stupid ceiling.

A hand extended above my face and I reached up and took hold of it. Kanda pulled me up and I winced at the pain in my chest. It was hard to breath. He looked at me with a smirk on his face.

"Holy heck, Yuu. That hurt," I said, clutching my stomach. I had just been sent flying from the force of the kick Kanda had delivered to my stomach.

"You said you didn't want me to go easy on you," he reminded me, smirk still in place. I nodded and grabbed my water bottle.

"I know," I said. "But I didn't think that you would send me flying to the other side of the room with that kick. God, I can't breathe."

He just laughed and grabbed a towel to wipe his face. He took a long pull from his water bottle and grabbed his katana from off the bench.

"I'm going to take a shower," he said.

"Okay. Meet you in the cafeteria in about a half hour?" I asked. He nodded as he walked away. I smiled at his attempt to appear indifferent. He tried so hard to seem not to care, but I knew he did. That thought commanded my mind as I made my way through the Order's halls to the ladies showers.

* * *

**My goal is to have each chapter be over one thousand words. This chapter, minus my little rant here, is 1,106! So I have fulfilled my duty so far. I'm having a hard time coming up with a chapter title for this one, so I'm just going to call it Chapter 8. Origional, huh?**

**I hope you liked this chapter and please, please review. I'm begging. Would you review if I said "Happy Tuesday!"? **


	9. New Members

9

"Where are we going?" I asked Kanda as we walked through the empty halls in the Order.

"We need to give Komui the Innocence that we recovered."

"Right!...Um, where is he?"

"Reever mentioned that he was showing some new guys around. I think he said that they would be in the Coffin Room."

"Please stop saying it like that. It sounds so heartless," I asked, shivering a bit.

"Che."

"It's the Mourning Hall."

"Val, don't." He picked up his pace and I had to jog to keep up with his long strides. Kanda had taken to wearing his long black hair in a high ponytail and it swung between his shoulder blades with each step he took. I glared at him when I matched his stride. He turned his head slightly in my direction and narrowed his eyes. I deepened my own glare.

"Fine! They are in the 'Mourning Hall'," he said sarcastically, emphasizing the name I had given the room. I smiled and shrugged my shoulders happily.

We entered onto the balcony in the hall. Below us coffins littered the ground. Tears welled in my eyes as I thought of all those who had died for the Orders cause. _May your souls rest in peace,_ I whispered in my mind. I knew that Kanda would scoff at me if I said something of the sort out loud. He gazed down on the coffins with an indifferent eye.

I walked up to the railing and looked down. Lenalee was sitting by a coffin, bandages on her face and body. An IV was next to her and my gaze traced the line from the IV to the crook of her elbow. Tears were pouring down her face as she mourned for her friend.

"He was probably a finder from her team. She just returned too," Kanda whispered. He was watching her and I couldn't tell if he felt sympathy for her or not. His eyes betrayed nothing to me.

I turned my own gaze back upon her. She seemed so small, so broken. My tears escaped my eyes. Kanda looked and me in alarm, probably unsure what to do with a crying woman. He didn't say anything and I wiped the tears away with the sleeve of my jacket.

"Poor Lenalee. She's seen so much destruction, so much death. She's too young to have gone through so much," I managed to say. Kanda folded his arms and leaned against the rail.

"We're all too young to have seen so much. You lost your parents when you were six. You saw them get murdered. Isn't that worse than what Lenalee is going through?" Kanda said. I considered his question.

"Yes and no. I've long since accepted that there was nothing I could do to prevent their death. Lenalee feels that it is her fault when someone dies, because she thinks she should be able to protect everyone. It's not her fault."

The sound of doors falling close caught our attention and we looked to the left. Komui had just entered onto the balcony. Following closely behind was an old man whose eyes were outlined in thick black circles. With them was a boy with medium length red hair and an eye patch shielding one eye. The boy looked down and I saw him watch Lenalee. She stared up at him, tears creating trails down her face.

"Lenalee gets too attached," Kanda whispered. I turned my head slightly towards him, showing that I was listening but still watching the boy. He continued.

"She's a fool. She loves everyone that comes here."

"She and I both," I said. "I too am a fool."

"Che."

The red head was looking at us now. When both of us looked at him he smiled and walked over.

"Hi," he said.

"Hello. I'm Valeriya and this is Kanda. Welcome to the Order." The boy took my outstretched hand. "You can call me Val."

He grasped my hand and grinned. His one visible eye lit up mischievously.

"Valeriya? Like malaria? The disease?" he questioned with a smirk. I sighed and was about to speak when I was cut off.

"Gah!" the boy cried as he was kicked by the old man. "Gigi! You crazy panda! What was that for?"

"You have no manners," the man said. He turned to me. "I apologize for his rudeness. I have no name, but you may call me Bookman. The idiot there is named Lavi."

Lavi was sitting crossed legged on the ground, rubbing his cheek where he had been kicked. He grinned up at me and stood up.

"I was only kidding," he said defensively. I smiled.

"It's okay."

Komui cleared his throat. "Welcome back Val-chan, Kanda. Did you recover the Innocence?" he asked. Kanda took it out of his pocket and chucked it at the supervisor.

"Excellent. Why don't you two take Lavi on a tour around the rest of the Order. Bookman and I have some things to talk about," he said. He paused for a moment and we started to walk away.

"Oh! Kanda! Before I forget, the General-"

"Yu-kun! Val-chan! Welcome back!"

Kanda stiffened next to me. He turned and glared at Komui. Komui looked down at his shoes, avoiding Kanda's vicious glare.

"Too late," he mumbled. General Tiedoll was running over. Soon he had me and Kanda in a hug. Kanda struggled to get away.

"Don't touch me," he spat.

"Yu, that's not the way to treat your father is it?" the general sobbed. Kanda glared at him. "Fine. Run along. I'm sure you're busy."

Kanda quickly escaped from the room before Tiedoll decided he wanted to spend quality time with him. Lavi snickered and was treated with an icy stare from Kanda.

"Yu? Your name is Yu?" he said.

"Don't ever call me by my first name," Kanda growled, pulling out his katana. Lavi shrunk back but I could tell that he was a daredevil and would probably push the limit with Kanda. I was right.

Lavi walked up and squeezed between us, trowing an arm around our shoulders. Kanda's face twisted in anger.

"Touch me and die, baka Usagi!" he snarled. Lavi removed his arm from Kanda's shoulder.

"Sorry. I didn't realize that you'd be so touchy." He was definitely pushing the limits and seemed to feel the deadly vibes coming from Kanda. He quickly moved on.

"So how old are you guys?" he asked.

"Sixteen," I told him.

"Me too! I can just tell that we are all going to be such good friends."

Kanda responded to that by turning around and walking in the other direction. I sighed and looked curiously at Lavi when he started to laugh.

"He doesn't seem to like me," he said.

"Kanda doesn't like many people," I confirmed. Lavi turned his bright green eye on me.

"But he likes you," he said. "I can tell. You two are good friends, no?'

"I suppose."

"Of course you are. Don't worry, I won't take him from you. But I promise you I will be his friend before long."

"Good luck," I said, causing him to laugh as we continued our tour of the Order.

* * *

**Thank goodness for snow days, because I would not have been able to post otherwise! I hope you liked this chapter. I'm in the process of introducing everyone so that the real story can get going. I have so many ideas for this thing that i really need to introduce Allen and then Miranda and Krory I might just stick in like I did with Daisya. **

**I wanted to stick to the book with this, so that Lavi and Lenalee have some sort of connection. That is why I introduced Lavi like this. I hope he is in character. I'm sorry if you think anyone else is out of character and that keeps you from reading. But Kanda and romance is probably always going to end with and out of character Yu.**

**Please review. I love reading them. They make me happy!**


	10. Surprises

10

The cafeteria was extremely crowded. I maneuvered my way to sit with Kanda, Lavi following me like a dog. Many would find this annoying, but I did not. I thought Lavi was very sweet and funny and I enjoyed getting to know him. We eventually wound our way through the throng and I sat down next to Kanda, Lavi lowering himself across from me. We were the only three at the table.

"What's up?" I asked Kanda. He shrugged and continued eating his soba. It was lunch time and I was feeling extremely hungry after training with Lenalee this morning. She didn't look it, but the fourteen year old could be very aggressive. I quickly dove into my Greek lentil soup. Lavi twirled spaghetti around his fork and shoved the bite into his mouth.

"I can't believe I ever ate before coming to the Order. Jerry's cooking is amazing!" he said with his mouth half full. I made a disgusted face and he swallowed before laughing. He turned his attention on Kanda.

"Soba again?" he asked. "You ate that for dinner yesterday and for breakfast this morning!"

"He only eats soba," I informed Lavi.

"Yuck. Why? Don't you ever want to try new things. This pasta is amazing! Here, try some!" Lavi exclaimed, shoving a forkful in front of Kanda's face.

"It's good," Lavi attempted. Kanda set down his tea and picked up his chopsticks, his eyes glinting maliciously.

"Do you want these shoved up your nose?" he asked in a low voice. I recognized the dangerous tone his voice had.

"Lavi, just give up. Kanda only eats soba."

"Huh," he sighed. "Fine." Lavi put the food in his mouth. I sipped the hot soup in my spoon, nearly burning my tongue in the process.

"So how long have you been in the Order?" Lavi asked.

"Since I was nine or ten. Kanda was eight when he came from the- OW!" I shrieked. My foot throbbed underneath the table. Kanda continued eating his soba like he hadn't just crashed his heel onto the top of my foot.

"Nice," Lavi said. "I won't ask any questions about where you came from Kanda, so relax and stop hurting Val." He smiled while Kanda glared at him. Something in the redheads tone made me feel like he knew more about everything than he let on.

"Where are you from?" I asked Lavi. He folded his arms behind his head while he thought about what to say.

"Well, I'm a future Bookman."

" What's a Bookman?"

"Bookmen are people who record the happenings of time. I will eventually be successor for Gigi. I keep a mental record of everything, as does Bookman. That's why we-"

"SHUT UP! YOU SAY TOO MUCH!" Bookman yelled, slapping Lavi on the back of the head. I stared in shock.

"You just appeared out of nowhere," I said in awe. The corners of his mouth curled upward.

"Please ignore everything that the idiot has said," Bookman said. I nodded. The man continued on his way, pausing to bow at a passing Komui. He disappeared through the big wooden doors.

Lavi stabbed a meatball viciously. "Damn Panda. He always has to hit me." He shoved the entire meatball in his mouth. His cheeks bulged and he actually managed to smile at my disgusted look.

"What?" he asked when he had managed to swallow most of the meat.

"How can you eat that?"

"It's good. You don't like meat?"

"No. I'm vegetarian. And, by the way, I'm surprised you haven't choked on your food yet." His grin was huge as he shrugged his shoulders.

"It's a skill I have. I can shove large amounts of food in my mouth without choking on it."

"Baka," Kanda muttered, entering the conversation. He stood up and grabbed his tray. I turned in my seat.

"Yu, where're you going?" Lavi called as Kanda walked away.

"Away. And stop using my first name!" he yelled. I turned around, shaking my head.

"Do you want him to kill you?" I asked, sipping my cooling soup. Lavi looked from me back to Yu and then back again. He folded his arms behind his head, stretching.

"No. I'm just trying to be his friend," he said. I shook my head.

"Well I don't think you're doing a very good job." I grabbed the bowl and tipped the last of the broth into my mouth.

"You don't think so?" Lavi asked. He smiled. "I think I'm making progress."

"Really?" I said skeptically. "And how is that progress?"

"He doesn't snap like he used to," Lavi said simply. "If that isn't progress then I don't know what is." I made a noise of assent. Lavi started to stare at me.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm just pondering. How did you two become such good friends?" he asked.

"I don't know. It kind of just happened. When I first came here Kanda _hated _me."

"Weird. Well, I can tell you for sure, he doesn't hate you now. I think that he needs you more than even he knows."

"Pardon?"

"Never mind. I'm going to go to the library. Gramps has me loaded with reading. I might just kill myself if I ever have to look at another book after this," he joked while standing up.

"See you," I said. He raised a hand in goodbye gesture as he walked away. I too stood up and took my dishes to the kitchen. Jerry greeted me exuberantly and I was hugged tightly. When he released me, leaving my ribs feeling like they were cracked, I took my dishes to the sink and washed and dried them. Then I put them away before leaving the cafeteria.

* * *

I was walking past one of Komui's experiment hallways when I heard it. The noise was a dull tinkling sound. It was extremely soft, but I could tell that it was a song. I looked down the dark hallway. Due to Komui's experimentation the electricity in his halls had been destroyed. No one bothered to fix it, most likely because it would just get destroyed again. The doors were covered with X's and strange chemicals. There was even some liquid that looked like blood on the doors. I contemplated going down there and investigating.

The noise had stopped briefly and then began again, louder this time. I listened intently. I soon realized the sound to be of a piano. Curious, I made my way carefully to the end of the hall. It disturbed me greatly that the hallway was so long. What, exactly, was Komui doing down here? I had been warned upon my arrival not to ever, _ever_ go down one of these halls. Everyone avoided them like the plague.

At a particularly battered and scarred door the piano was strongest. I twisted the knob and was happy to find it unlocked. I eased the door open and let myself in. What I found shocked me immensely.

The room was empty, the walls covered in an unknown substance and the tiles on the floor cracked. In the center of the room was a grand piano. It was black, detailed intricately in gold paint. Running up the legs were gold cherry blossom branches, the blooms either fully open or partway closed. The keys were perfectly white and black, without any indication that they had been tampered with by Komui.

This in itself was not what surprised me so. What surprised me was the person who was playing the piano, hands flowing over the keys, body moving and being pitched forward as the player pressed down on the keys. The players slight, strong build and long black hair held in a high ponytail exposed who it was. Kanda.

"Oh my God," I said, shock evident in my voice. The clashing sounds of all keys being played at once greeted my ears and then before I knew it, my mouth was covered by a strong hand.

"Don't say anything," he growled in my ear. "To anyone."

I nodded and he let go. I rubbed my jaw as he went and sat down on the bench. He sat with his legs apart and rested his elbows on his knees. His face was cupped in his hands. I walked over and sat on the ground beside him. I reached out and placed a hand on his knee. He looked up and I smiled.

"I won't tell anyone," I said. He nodded. "I didn't know you played piano."

"No one does."

"Why didn't you tell me? Anyone?" I asked. He laughed a single sharp syllable.

"Val, do you know what people would say if they knew I played piano? Me, Kanda Yuu? They'd never let me live it down."

"I thought you didn't care what people thought of you?"

"I don't," he admitted. "But I do care about being able to have my peace. And that would be gone if anyone were to find out," he said, looking pointedly at me. I mocked locking my lips and throwing away the keys.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," I said. He nodded again, his ponytail swaying.

"I know. I trust you." It took only seconds for this simple sentence to affect me.

"Gah! Why are you crying!?" Kanda cried out in alarm.

"You've never said that you trusted me before." He knocked me upside the head.

"Baka. I didn't think that I had to say it. I thought it was always clear. Like I would tell you my secrets if I didn't trust you."

"If you trust me you should tell me about the lotus and the way you can heal so quickly," I said, bringing up our old argument. His look was mutinous.

"We are not discussing that," he said angrily. I bit my lower lip and twisted my fingers.

"Okay," I whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Che."

Just like that things were back to normal. He was no longer angry and I pushed my thoughts away from the mystery of the lotus and his magical healing powers. He turned around on the bench to face the piano. I stood up and sat down next to him.

"Can you play me something?" I asked. He contemplated for a moment and then let his hands hover over the ivory keys. They hesitated and came back to rest in his lap.

"I don't know what to play," he said. I got off the bench and sat on the ground.

"Anything," I said. "Anything would be beautiful." His lips curled upwards and I found myself enveloped in his beauty. His pale skin shone in contrast to his dark hair, his thin lips were pressed in a line as he thought about what to play, his eyebrows knitted together. His body was leaned slightly over the piano.

Then he began to play. High notes stuck out a melody and his fingers moved quickly and surely over the keys. His body swayed a bit as he stretched his arms out to reach high and low on the piano. The sound wound its way through my mind, the beauty of it slightly overwhelming. I had no clue that Kanda was able to make something so beautiful. All to soon the song ended. Kanda looked at me, a defensive look on his face, as if trying to protect himself from ill words.

"Why are you crying again?" he asked.

"That was so beautiful. I had no idea. When did you learn to play?"

He pressed a few keys down absently. They resounded throughout the room for a moment before being absorbed into the walls. "I was young. Very young. Before I came to this branch of the Order."

"Wow. That was so amazing, Yuu," I said. He flinched at my use of his first name, but did not threaten me like he would Lavi.

"Before I learned how to meditate this was the only way to relax me."

"Did you write that song yourself?" I asked.

"Yes." He bowed his head down and played a few random notes, attempting to hide his embarrassment. Then he became suddenly serious.

"Don't you dare tell anyone, especially Lavi. With his disposition the whole Order would know in ten minutes."

"I promise. You can trust me."

"I know," he said. He reached out and touched my arm. The contact gave me a jolt like electricity. He dropped his hand.

"Come on," he said, standing up. "Let's go to the training room." He held out his hand.

I looked at it. His fingers were stretched out, the skin on the palm of his hand smooth and free of any scars or cuts. I looked up at his eyes. He was watching me and when we locked eyes he gave me an impatient look. I laughed nervously and took his outstretched hand. He pulled me up and we walked to the door. He dropped my hand and I found myself upset that he had let go.

"Can you teach me how to meditate?" I asked. He tuned his head and looked down at me, a smile in place on his flawless face. "Please?"

"Fine, but it takes a lot of discipline. I don't think you have the willpower to do it." We started walking out of the hall.

"I do too!" I protested. He said nothing, merely smirking. "You don't believe me?"

"Nope," he replied.

"I'll show you! I will master the art of meditation."

Kanda laughed through his nose and led me to the meditation room. I found that I could not stop thinking about how beautiful he was.

* * *

**Yay! Another chapter. Thank God for weekends and confrences so that I have no school! Unforunately I don't know when I will be able to post next, which is why this chapter is so long. It was three and a half pages in Word! My director has us doing rehearsals until eight for the musical at school, so I am going to be busy busy busy.**

**I hope you liked this chapter! I bet you didn't know that Kanda played piano. I don't know why, but I can picture him playing the piano, so I decided to write that in. I hope you liked the idea. I'm sorry if you didn't. By the way, the song Kanda plays for Val is Swiftwater by Scott. D. Davis. It is incredibly beautiful.**

**Please review! That would be awesome. Happy Monday!- That should get a few, right? Haha.**


	11. Meditation

11

The meditation room was not an area that I had ever entered before. It was a big room with an open bamboo floor. There was a pillar in each corner of the room. Toward the back of the room was a small fountain producing the sounds of a gurgling stream. It was surrounded by a small rock garden and sand. Skylights overhead and a few windows provided natural light for the room.

There were a few pans of liquid incense on the walls. Kanda brushed by them, not even bothering to light the incense. I sniffed the liquid and the juxtaposition of lavender and pomagranite assaulted my nose. I scrunched my nose and made a face.

"Oh yuck!" I sneezed.

"Someone's been mixing the incense this whole week," Kanda told me. He was already across the room, laying out two bamboo mats. "My guess is that it was Lavi." He frowned. I laughed nervously. I knew for a fact that it really was Lavi. He had confided in me only yesterday that he was trying to get Yuu to talk to him by playing pranks. I didn't tell him that it was an awful idea. I didn't want to be the one to crush his spirits.

"Why are you so hard on him all the time?" I asked. The look that Kanda gave me clearly said that I was stupid.

"He's always fooling around. He's been here for almost three months and still acts like everything is a joke," he fumed.

"But that's just the way he is," I said in a feeble attempt to defend my friend. Kanda rolled his eyes and glared at the wall.

"Yeah, but you would think that he would act a little more seriously after seeing all the death that comes to us." Kanda said the words quietly, but the anger behind them was apparent. His words were, however, not true, but I stayed silent anyways. Lavi was, aloof though he may appear, affected by the deaths of all those people.

*FLASHBACK!*

_"Val, please relax. Stop crying," he said with his hands on my shoulders. He pushed me forward gently. I wanted to ask how I could stop crying over a fallen comrade. I had failed to protect him. I had lost an Innocence. It was all my fault._

_The red-headed exorcist lead me from the room. We made our way down the hall. In a small alcove along the way Lavi made me sit down on a stone bench. I curled my knees to my chest, hugging them, and brought my feet to rest on the granite surface. He lifted my chin so that I was looking at him._

_"Calm down, please," he begged me and wiped the tears from my face. His cold fingers were soothing against my flaming skin. I pulled back and rested my head against the chilly stone wall._

_"But I lost the Innocence and he's dead," I cried. "How are you not upset? You got along well enough with him."_

_"I know," Lavi said, curling his hands together. "I am sad. I realize that you can't tell, but I am." He paused, collecting his thoughts. He stood up, glanced up and down the hallway, and then sat back down._

_"As a future Bookman it is my job to record the proceedings of time," he started._

_"You've told me this," I interrupted, my emotions getting the better of me. I was frustrated at being so weak. What good was being an exorcist if I couldn't even protect the people I loved? LAvi smiled at me and continued like he hadn't even been interrupted._

_"In the time I've spent with Bookman it has mostly been just us recording wars. Death, at first, was sickening. I could barely stand it. The first time I saw someone die it made me sick. After I was done vomitting all I could do was sob. I was nine. I couldn't keep from crying."_

_He stood up again and looked down the hall. With his back to me he continued to talk. "Bookman just let me sob until finally I could cry no more. After he told me that I needed to get used to death, as it was inevitable and most of our records involve wars and death. I stopped crying in his presence. Bookman has seen so much more than I have, it's amazing that he can even stand it."_

_When he looked back at me I noticed a trail of tears on his cheeks. My own eyes were welling with tears at his words. Such pain in his life, I thought. _

_"Strictly speaking," he told me, "I'm not... well, as a future Bookman I can't...". He faltered in his speech. This time I stood up to comfort him. I reached up and rested a hand on his shoulder._

_"Lavi?"_

_"I'm not supposed to get attached," he said shortly._

_"Attached to what?" My eyebrows knit together in confusion._

_"Anyone. It's my job to be an impartial observer of time. I can't let my desires or emotions get in the way."_

_"That's terrible!" I cried. Fresh tears poured down my face. Lavi smiled sadly and pulled me into a hug. He rested his cheek on the top of my head. _

_"Hey, hey," he soothed. "Just because those are the rules doesn't mean that I am going to listen. I make friends all the time. That's attachment, right?" I pulled away. His smile didn't reach his eyes. I stepped away and wiped my eyes with my sleeve._

_"Gah! I'm so emotionally unstable. I cry all the time." The hem of my sleeve was soaked with tears. Lavi threw his head back and laughed. His bandana slipped down to cover his eyes and he impatiently pulled it around his neck._

_"Well, it's certaintly working in your favor," he said. I was confused. His voice lowered to an inaudible mumble, though I distinctly heard him say Kanda's name._

_"What? Kanda, what?" I asked. _

_"Oh nothing!" Lavi said cheerily. I looked at him skeptically and he continued to look as if nothing was wrong. I learned then that Lavi was definitely master of his emotions._

_"Do you know why he doesn't like me?" he asked suddenly. I thought briefly of the Finder that I had left behind. Lavi was helping me to realize that I couldn't save every life. Death was, at times, unavoidable. Inevitable, as Bookman said. It loomed ever closer to us. It was through death, I thought, that an akuma was born. Even if I couln't keep them all alive, I would keep the Earl from adding to his army of tortured souls._

_"No. I think you just come off a little too strongly sometimes. Kanda likes his peace and quiet."_

_"He meditates right?"_

_"Yes. All the time." Lavi folded his arms and looked up, thinking. When he lowered his head there was a mischievious grin in place. _

_"Excellent. I hope he likes incense." _

_"What did you do?"_

_"I mixed the incense. I'm trying to get him to talk to me. If he gets mad enough he'll come to me. I know it." I shook my head at his idea._

_"You want him to yell?"_

_"If it gets him to loosen up a bit then, yes." I sat back down on the bench. Lavi lowered himself down next to me. He placed a hand lightly on my knee. _

_"It's not your fault you know," he said. "I could have saved him too." He squeezed my kneecap and then stood up. He entered into the hallway and looked back over his shoulder._

_"Don't give up," he said and then walked away. I sat there for hours thinking over everything we had conversed about._

_*END FLASHBACK*_

Kanda's voice brought me back into reality.

"...and sit quietly. You're not even listening to me, are you?" he said, annoyance clear in his voice. His eyes were closed and his hands were folded in his lap.

"Sorry," I whispered. " I was thinking about some stuff."

"You're supposed to clear your mind. We've only just started and already you've failed."

"I'm sorry," I sighed, looking down at my hands, ashamed.

"Che. It's fine. Just pay attention this time." He started to tell me how to meditate.

In the hallway Lavi crept up to the open door. He observed as Kanda gently shoved Val and she laughed. He watched her struggle to do a lotus position and watched as Kanda demonstrated the correct way with a smile on his face. Lavi observed until he felt that he understood their relationship at least a little bit better. He couldn't tell for sure, but he knew that there was probably something more than friendship ahead for them. He smiled sadly and walked away, taking note that the incense had not been lit.

* * *

**I'm so sorry that it took me so long to post. I was busy with the musical and as soon as that was over guess what happened. Both of the computers in my house decided that they wanted to get viruses. I lost everything. Even my story. So thankfully I was able to copy and paste from Fanfic, cause otherwise I would have to rewrite everything by hand. **

**I hope you liked this chapter. There wasn't much ValxKanda. I apologize for that. I'm sorry it isn't longer. I feel like I should have given you more to work with. I will post as soon as possible. I still don't have Word on my computer. I wrote this whole thing in the doc uploader.**

**Please review. Please. I would love feedback.**

**Again, I apologize for the wait.**


	12. Nightmare

12 Nightmare

In a small town in Denmark, on the outskirts of a large forest, Kanda and Lavi and I stepped off of a train and onto the platform below. The steward threw our luggage toward us, and Kanda easily caught it. Then the train pulled away from the station, steadily gaining speed. It swung around in an arc and disappeared behind a thick cloud of fog. The blowing horn drifted back to my ears.

The cold wind blew around me, chilling me. Snow fell down lightly from the gray sky and created white flakes in our hair. I wrapped my scarf closer to my neck. The wind pushed its way through the fibers and I could not manage to get warm. My leather gloves did a steady job of protecting my hands from the wind, but they couldn't keep the rest of my body warm. I shivered.

"This way," Kanda said. He passed a suitcase to Lavi and started walking. I reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Here," I said, pulling a suitcase from his grip, freeing up one of his hands. He nodded slightly and then his free hand went to grip the hilt of his katana. My poor paranoid friend.

We strode through the streets. It was late afternoon, yet I felt like it was the middle of the night. Our boots made soft clicking noises on the cobblestones. There was no other noise. The streets were deserted. No one was out selling merchandise, there were no children playing in the snow that was piled next to rows of houses, no women doing shopping for dinner. It was empty.

The street we walked on ended abruptly. We stood in front of a large building. A sign on the road told us that it was the Town Hall. It was two stories high, made of rust-colored brick, and had a large church spire. The doors were a deep red color, and looked to be made of a very sturdy wood. Lavi was the first to climb the steps.

"Ready?" he asked. He had his hand on the knob and had his head cocked back to look over his shoulder at us.

"Che."

"Yes. Go ahead Lavi."

He turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. Light streamed through the doorway, but it was dim and flickered. We stepped inside. The room was light by hundreds of candles. Pews lined the floor up to the altar. I looked at Lavi curiously.

"I thought this was the Town Hall," I said.

"Oh, it is. The Town Hall is upstairs. This is a church also, as you can see. When there isn't a mass the people wait in the pews to see the mayor. This town isn't the richest-- just look at their location. Trading is difficult for them. They couldn't afford to build separate church and town hall buildings. So they made the upper level the town hall."

I marveled at Lavi's endless knowledge while we walked through the aisles and up to the altar. Kanda inclined his head at the idol of Christ on his crucifix. Lavi and I also did a short bow before we turned left to pass through the door labeled TOWN HALL. We walked quickly up the stairs and pushed open the door at the top.

"...which is why we need to--" a man was saying before we walked in. When he heard the door bang shut he silenced himself.

"Pardon us," Lavi said. He stepped forward into better light. "We are from the Black Order."

The man sitting at the head of a long table stood up hastily. He was short and pudgy, with a round belly that stretched his suit jacket around the middle. He was wearing two-toned tuxedo shoes and a a la souvarov beard and mustache. His gray hair was slicked back and he looked rather flustered and threatened by the other man who had been first speaking.

"The Black Order?" he asked.

"Yes. We heard of you're troubles here with the forest and were sent to help."

"B-but you're just children," he said, smoothing his beard nervously. Next to me Kanda snorted at the comment.

"We are trained professionals," Lavi said, not telling him that we were trained to kill demons and fight against the Millenium Earl. The mayor would throw us out if he heard that.

The mayor looked even more flustered, if that was possible, and sat down. "Gentlemen," he said, "this meating will continue tomorrow evening at the same time. Please excuse us."

The group of six men gathered their things and took their leave. The man who had been talking when we entered glared at us as he passed. I looked down, but Kanda glared right back and Lavi even smiled and waved.

"Please sit," the mayor said. We walked to the table and sat down in a chair. "You say you are here to help my town?" he asked.

"Yes," Lavi said. "We understand that you have been having issues with the forest. Would you like to elaborate on those, please?" I laughed to myself on how Lavi had already taken control of the meeting. He winked at me, as if knowing what I was thinking.

"Yes. Well, you see, we are not the most economically sound of towns. I've been sending a few of my merchants through the forest, but they never seem to come back. I don't know what happened to them. I've sent letters to the mayor of the other town, but he always replies saying that no new traders have arrived. I'm getting nervous. Something is in there, and it's killing my townspeople." He got suddenly skeptical. "You say you can help?"

"We can. Thank you so much for your time. We've heard enough." Lavi stood up to leave and Kanda and myself pushed our chairs backward and rose aswell.

"Wait!" the mayor cried when we started to walk towards the door.

"How could you possibly help with this?" he asked, twisting a hat in his hands.

"We've dealt with this kind of thing before. Please don't worry. We will fix the problem. Now, could you please point us off to the nearest inn. We'd like to rest up before we set off in the morning."

The mayor did so, also saying that he would anxiously await our return from the forest and good luck. We left the church/town hall building and headed to the inn.

"_Valeriya! Come here," she called. I stopped playing with my dolls and ran over to my mom. She wrapped her arms around me and lifted my small body up. I curled my arms around her neck and she ran with me. _

"_Alena__! It's that man! He's here. Hide Val!" my father called to mom. She was crying, tears dripping from her face and into my hair. I started to cry too._

"_Mommy! What's going on?" I asked. _

"_Shh Val. I need you to be quiet. Stay in here and don't come out until he's gone," she said, opening the closet in the living room. She set me down and closed it behind her. I sat down amid the shoes and coats. Through a hole in the wood I watched. _

_Mom stood clutching Dad's arm. He was holding her ackwardly. Then he came in. He was a dark shadow, a form that I could not make out. He raised a hand and spoke in a hoarse whisper._

"_You've seen too much," he said. "I'm so sorry." His words were insincere and he smiled a smile that reached his ears. I started crying softly. Then he moved so quickly I couldn't see how it happened, but suddenly my parents crumpled to the ground, dead. A single cry escaped my throat. The man turned and smiled hugely again. His golden eyes were on the closet and he started walking forward._

XXXXXXXXX

"No!" my voice cried.

"She's thrashing around too much. Hold her still!" another voice reached my ears.

"I'm am, baka usagi!" This voice was more familiar to me. I struggled against the bonds holding me down.

"Val stop! It's me. It's Kanda!" he cried. I opened my eyes and jerked urpight. Our foreheads connected with a crack.

"Dammit!" he cried. I held my head.

"I'm sorry! Are you alright?" I asked, reaching out. Kanda swatted my hand away.

"I'm fine. What the hell happened?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I took the ice that Lavi offered me and held it to my throbbing forehead. My clothes were sticking to my skin and I saw that I was drenched in sweat.

"Oh my," I said. Kanda rolled his eyes.

"Go get cleaned up," he said. He got off the bed and let me out.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Two in the morning," Lavi yawned. "I'm going back to bed."

"I'm sorry to have woken you." He just waved his hand, crawling back onto his cot. I smiled and went into the bathroom. I took a quick shower and put on clean dry clothes. I brushed out my long hair and then went back into the room.

Kanda had changed my sheets when I was gone. I looked at the pile of sweat covered sheets and blushed. He said nothing. I sat down on the bed.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I had a nightmare, is all."

"About what?"

"About the day my parents died."

Kanda looked down at the bed and then back up at me. He reached out and placed a hand on my face.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," I said, my breath speeding up at the contact. He didn't seem too satisfied, but he didn't continue with the questions. He pulled his hand back and went back to the couch.

"Get some rest then," he said. He blew out the candle and we plunged into darkness.

* * *

**I am so sorry. I wish I could have posted sooner. I've been so busy lately. Please forgive me!**

**What did you think? I liked this chapter. I've got plans that stem from that dream so don't forget it. Hehe. I'm excited to finally have a bit of time to write, but there is no telling when I will be able to post next. So to keep you semi happy here is a little teaser about what will be in the next chapter, roughly.**

**They go in the forest. Val is clumsy and falls through ice. Jealous Kanda. LAvi being Lavi. Innocence. Yay!**

**That was a really pathetic teaser, but that is what will occur, only with more detail, unless you want me to make that the chapter. ;)**

**Please Review!**


	13. The Mission

13 The Mission

A gentle shaking woke me. I sat up groggily, my eyes adjusting to the dim light of the room. The dream was still fresh in my mind, and the image of my parents deaths was haunting me through my closed eyelids. I tried my hardest to not blink, hoping that I could keep the image from returning to my mind. The shadow, the man, had been walking towards the closet, and I knew I was probably supposed to be next.

My memory of that day was very vague; I could remember little of what had happened exactly. The Order had tried to get me to remember what exactly had happened, and the Science Department had concluded that I was probably supressing the memory in the back of my mind. I had had the dream once before, on a mission with Kanda. He had been paniking when he managed to wake me, and when I told him what it was he had looked at me sadly. Then he told me to put it from my mind, we had a mission to complete.

Now I registered Kanda slipping into his exorcists jacket across the room. Lavi withdrew his hand from my shoulder and stepped back grinning. He too was already dressed in his exorcists clothing.

"Good morning!" he said brightly, pulling his headband onto his head. It made his hair stick up in odd angles. His eyepatch was secure on his forehead, covering his eyes, and there were slight bags under his one visible eye. He looked tired but I knew that he was keeping a record of everything going on at the moment. He would fulfill his duty as a furture Bookman.

"What time is it?" I asked, yawning. I stretched my arms over my head and swung my legs off the bed. Standing up, I grabbed my uniform and headed towards the bathroom to change.

"Six," Kanda grunted from the other side of the room. He held a hair tie in his hand and his hair cascaded down his back.

"I thought we agreed to leave before dawn?" I said.

"I was going to wake you up but-" Lavi said, breaking off to shrug and look pointedly at Kanda. He glared at the red head and angrily pulled his hair back into its usual ponytail. His cheeks flushed.

"But?" I pried.

"Kanda said to let you sleep and that we could wait a few hours to get started. And you know how he is, always rearing to get going on missions. He willingly decided to _wait," _Lavi said, astonished.

"Baka usagi! Don't make it sound like that!"

"Like what? Like you are crushing on Val? I know you just wanted to watch her sleep some more!"

"Lavi!" we both yelled simultaneously, Kanda with anger, me with an admonishing tone. I could feel my cheeks growing hot and I quickly entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.

I was, and though I would never admit it to him, surprised that Kanda hadn't woken me up. Every other time we were on missions together he never had any problem poking and prodding me until I would wake. The fact that he had made the choice to let me sleep and not wake me was a little shocking.

What Lavi said, though, had me thinking. Kanda couldn't possibly have a crush on me anyway. The thought was ridiculous. Surely he thought of me only as a friend. He certaintly only ever treated me as a friend. I shook my head, deciding that it was best if I let it go and turned on the water in the shower, hoping the hot water could clear my mind.

KANDA'S P.O.V.

I watched Val go into the bathroom, her cheeks slightly pink and her long hair making a curtain about her face. I heard the lock click from across the room. I waited for a moment, and as I knew it would, the shower water began to run. _Excellent_, I thought. Then I was across the room in two strides, knocking Lavi back into the wall. I had one hand on the wall behind him, my other arm bent with the forearm pressing against his chest.

"_What the hell is your problem?" _I sneered, my mouth right next to his ear. Lavi slipped out from beneath my arm and skirted to the other side of the room.

"Nothing. I'm perfectly fine, thank you," he joked. My anger boiled up inside me and I fought the urge to punch him in the face. I glared at him. Lavi shuddered under my gaze.

"You should try smiling more," he said. Then, as an afterthought, "Val likes when you smile."

I didn't hesitate this time, and when my foot collided with Lavi's stomach, I barely realized that I had moved. He doubled over, the breath knocked out of him.

"Don't talk like that," I said.

"You like her!" Lavi accused, his breath short. "I can tell!"

"You're wrong," I said, trying to sound sure, because, in truth, I wasn't sure anymore how I felt of Val. It was like overnight I had realized that even though she was an exorcist, she was also a woman. And last night had me worrying over her.

It had been years since she had had that dream. The first time she had it we had been on a mission. I was a little cold toward her, telling her that she needed to ignore the dream and focus on the mission. I was truly scared for her, though.

Val was the only person I felt comfortable talking to. I opened up to her and her alone. I told her everything. Well, most things. I hoped that I would never have to tell her about the lotus flower or my tattoo, both of which she was very curious about. I didn't want to see her face when I told her that they were both sort of measurements of my life.

Lavi was watching me with a smirk. It was like he could see the gears turning in my head, analyzing anything I had done to show that I may have a crush on Val. I tried to keep my face emotionless, and it was an easy thing for me to do.

"No. I'm certain I'm right," he said. "How could you not? I mean, Val is pretty cute. If you're not going to go after her, I think that maybe I will."

VAL P.O.V. AGAIN!

I walked out of the bathroom just in time to see Kanda lunge at Lavi and punch him in the face. Shocked, I dropped my things and ran over to where the two were now brawling on the floor.

"Stop!" I cried. I tried to pull Kanda off of Lavi, but he shrugged me off. I fell to the floor, smacking my elbow on the corner of the coffee table.

Pain shot up through my fingertips and I cried out. KAnda immediately dropped the fist he had ready and turned to me. Lavi, though, was quicker and was at my side within a second of Kanda lowering his arm. He held my waist and pulled me up.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I looked at Kanda, who looked livid. Lavi noticed what I did not; that Kanda's glare kept trailing to his hand around my waist.

"I'm fine," I said, rubbing my elbow. "Lavi, you're bleeding!"

"It's fine," he said, swatting my hand away as I reached out to his bloddy nose. He let go of me and wiped the blood with the sleeve of his jacket.

"Why did you punch him?" I asked Kanda. He glared at Lavi.

"Che."

"Kanda?"

"As if I'd tell you," he snarled.

"Oh. Okay," I said, hurt at his harsh tone. He had always told me everything and now suddenly he was keeping secrets? I felt my eyes fill up with tears and quickly breshed them away. He saw the wetness in my eyes and his face softened. He lowered his arms from his chest.

"I'm sorry," he said. Behind me Kanda saw Lavi smile at his apology. "What happened was...well it's not important. I shouldn't have punched him. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, don't worry about it Val," Lavi said. "I provoked him anyway. Come on. Let's get going."

I followed Lavi and Kanda out of the room and downstairs into the lobby. The man at the front desk was sitting in a chair, snoring as he slept. We crept quietly to the door and pushed it open, letting the cold air blow snow into the lobby, where it melted on the carpet.

I pulled my scarf closer around my neck as we wound our way through the town. The air was bitter cold and it felt like thousands of tiny needles were poking my skin. Lavi seemed to feel the same way, as he too kept winding his scarf closer to his neck. Kanda seemed to be unfazed by the wind, and kept walking with his head held up, no scarf.

We reached the edge of town and the start of the forest. The trees cast eerie shadows on the ground from the morning moon. I shivered, only this time it was not from the cold. The whole forest seemed to radiate a chilling vibe and I drew closer to Kanda, clutching his sleeve. He looked down at me quickly, letting me know that he would keep me safe, blinked and turned back to face the forest.

"Let's go," he said. We walked forward.

The tree bark was rough beneath my palms. I was walking with my arms out, letting the trees graze my skin as I passed. We had been walking for hours in the knee deep snow, and I was tiring. My stomach felt like it was going to explode, as I hadn't eaten since dinner the previous evening. The sun was high in the sky and I guessed that it was about noon.

Kanda was walking a few yards ahead of me, the least tired of all of us. Lavi was a ways behind me, moving incredibly slowly. I trudged through the snow, attempting to place my feet in the holes already dug out by Kanda's.

Kanda turned around and called behind him.

"Lavi! Pick up the pace!"

"Huh!"

"Stop walking!"

Lavi made an awkward attempt at joggin through the snow. Kanda snorted.

"Jogger!"

"Not happy when I walk. Not happy when I jog. There is only one conclusion! I must crawl!" he declared.

Kanda made a loud noise of dissent and started walking again. Lavi winked at me, but ran and caught up to us. He walked in tandem with me behind Kanda.

We continued to walk for what seemed like forever. I was starting to get seriously hungry, and my toes were freezing. We had made no progress and we had no clue how ling we would have to continue to walk. Kanda was getting visibly frustrated.

Being the stealthy boy that he is, I didn't realize that he had stopped walking until I plowed right into him. Unfortunately, given my coordination, I completely lost my balance and fell backward into the snow. It exploded around me as I landed a foot below the surface.

Hysteric laughter reached my ears. Then a shout, the thud of two things colliding, and a gasp of pain. I pulled myself up and deduced what I had missed.

Lavi, doubled over clutching his stomach,had been laughing at my misstep. Kanda, already agitated with the lack of progress had hit Lavi in the stomach with the hilt of his katana, which he was clipping back onto this belt. I had been left to help myself.

"What the hell?" Lavi gasped. His bandana slipped forawrd on his head and fell into the snow. Kanda sighed.

"You're too loud. You could give away our position to any akuma around," he said in a monotone. Lavi made a retort back and soon the too were arguing. Loudly.

Exasperated, I climbed into a tree and sat between two branches, waiting for the fight to blow over. Getting involved would only make Kanda angry with me, and I didn't want that.

"... and _you_ never take things seriously!" Kanda yelled. "Is this all a joke to you? Do you like seeing your comrades die?"

"That's taking this too far!" Lavi growled.

"What if it was Bookman next?" Kanda sneered. I inwardly groaned at his lack of tact.

"What! That is low, and you know it!" Lavi yelled. Kanda turned around.

"Don't you walk away! Come back, you weak piece of -"

"Stop!" I yelled. "That's enough! You two are comrades! You should be protecting each other, not fighting!" Tears started to roll from my eyes. Lavi immediately looked ashamed and Kanda stopped glaring at Lavi.

"I'm sorrt Val. I didn't mean to make you cry," Lavi said, looking up at me. I jumped down from the tree.

"It's okay," I said, giving him a hug.

"I'm sorry for for fighting with you too, Kanda."

"Che."

"Kanda, please apologize to Lavi."

"Che." He folded his arms.

"Kanda!"

"Fine! I apologize for saying those things," he said in an even tone.

"Apology accepted," Lavi said. Then, in a lower tone to me, "Even though it wasn't very sincere."

"Sorry," I whispered back, my own apology for Kanda's actions. Lavi shrugged.

"Anyway," he said louder, "what now?"

"What do you mean 'what now?'" Kanda said angrily, unable to mask his frustration.

"Well, we're at the place where the Innocence was traced to."

"Really! How do you know?" I asked.

"Mental record of everything," Lavi replied, tapping his temple twice with his pointer finger. I smiled at my friend's ability to know, well, everything.

"Split up," Kanda ordered. "Yell if you find anything." He dashed off. Lavi shook his head and turned to me.

"Good luck Val."

"Thanks. You too. Be safe."

"Mhmm. Shin!" His hammer extended and Lavi disappeared. I turned the other direction and started walking, scouting the area for the usual unusual phenomena.

The forest was silent. I could hear only my breathing and the sound of the snow beneath my feet being packed together. It was unsettling. My own movements held me rigid with anticipation, and I kept my bow in one hand, my other constantly lingering behind me, hold onto the shaft of an arrow.

The gound sloped unexpectedly downward. A flat level of land lay at the bottom of the hill, like a valley of sorts. I picked my way cautiously down the slope. Without warning, my foot slipped and I found myself tumbling down the hill. I rolled out onto the flat.

I put my hands beneath me and pushed up. I looked around and saw that my bow was laying at the top of the hill. I lifted one foot and took a step forward. Underneath me, the ground shifted. I looked down as a crack like gunshot erupted from the ground. Out in the forest, I knew that Lavi and Kanda had heard. I looked down at the crack. Water pushed its way through what I understood now to be ice on top of a small lake. I screamed as the ice broke entirely where I stood, and I plunged into the water.

All around me was darkness. I struggled in the icy water. I opened my eyes and could see the surface where I fell through, but no matter how hard I struggled I could not get my body to move upward. It was as if something was dragging me down. My lungs felt like they were going to burst and dots erupted in front of my eyes. I knew then that I was going to drown and stopped fighting.

The realization did not fill me with terror. I only regretted that I couldn't have seen Kanda once more before my passing. I wanted to say goodbye. He was my best friend, the one who looked out for me, the one I loved. His face swam in my mind. I could see him yelling, gesturing wildly. I thought that he should be smiling as I was going to die. If anything, all I wanted was to see his smiling face. But here he was taking off his jacket and boots.

Stupidly, I understood. I was still alive and Kanda was here. He was here to save me, as always. I started to fight again. I couldn't believe I had just accepted death so callously. I could feel my strength leaving me, and just as I felt myself about to give up for the second time arms wrapped around me and pulled me upward. My head broke the surface and I tried to gasp for air, but instead ended up spitting up water.

Lavi grabbed me and pulled me out. I lay in the snow, gasping for air. My chest was tight and I felt like a huge weight was sitting on my chest. I turned my head to see Kanda laying next to me, panting. He rolled over onto his hands and knees so that his head was right above mine.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a panicked tone. I tried to say 'yes' but I ended up having a coughing fit and started to spew more water from my lungs.

"She needs a doctor," Lavi said. I felt someone gather me up into his arms. I looked up to see Kanda holding me. My cheeks flushed red in embarasment, but Kanda just looked at me with even more concern and Lavi put a hand on my forehead.

"She's running a small fever."

"I'll run back with her," Kanda said.

"No," Lavi replied. Kanda started and glared angrily.

"I'm the fastest!" he protested.

"Actually, I am. I can use Odzuchi Kodzuchi to get there."

Kanda looked reluctant as he handed me over to Lavi. Lavi sat on his hammer and positioned me in front of himself, holding onto me from behind.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll take care of her."

Kanda nodded. "Fine. I'll continue without you."

"Good luck," Lavi said.

"Che." He started to back away. "Don't do anything stupid Lavi. If she gets sick, I'll kill you."

"Right. I'll hold you to that then. Shin!" We started forward in a burst of speed and left Kanda behind. Kanda watched until Lavi and I were but a speck in the forest, before turning around and sprinting off.

Lavi held onto me tightly the whole way back to the town. He cursed every time I had a coughing fit and needed to stop to regain my breath. In time we reached the town and got to the hospital, where I was admitted and spent the majority of the evening undergoing various tests.

Later, in my hospital bed, Lavi came in. He walked over and pulled an extra chair right up close to my bedside. I let him hold my hand in his strong grasp.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. I don't have pnuemonia or frostbite or anything. Just a high fever."

"Okay," he said, nodding. He lay his head down on the bed and was soon snoring. I fell asleep listening to the sound of his breathing.

An increase in my fever temperature woke me up hours later. Lavi had slumped back in his chair, so he didn't wake when I started to thrash around in discomfort. I had not realized that Kanda was there until his strong hands were on my shoulders, preventing me from moving any further. He pushed aside the IV cord and sat down on the bed.

"Val, relax. Here," he said, passing me a glass of ice water. I drank it greedily, not realizing how dry my throat was until the water soothed the pain. I took a deep breath after gulping the water.

"How are you?" he whispered.

"I'm okay. Lavi's been here for a while. He fell asleep almost as soon as he sat down."

"Che. You can't trust him to do anything."

"Kanda."

He made a face that said that he wanted to protest, opened his mouth, then closed it again. He stood up.

"At any rate, I've found the Innocence and have it. There was a small akuma gathering, which I eliminated. We should be able to leave on the next train, which is later today. That is, if you get discharged by then."

"Alright," I said, taken aback by his abrupt change in mood. He nodded and then said that he was going to go back to the inn to rest. He started to wake Lavi, but I stopped him. He looked quite peaceful where he was, and even though he was asleep, I liked the company. Kanda said goodbye and left.

As soon as he was gone I broke into tears.

* * *

**At last! A new post! I'm so sorry that it has taken this long. I made it seven pages long on word, but it doesn't look like it is here. **

**I hope you liked this. Please, please review. Review to show me you don't hate me. **

**I'm not quite sure where it is going from here, so I hope it doesnt take me that long to continue the story. Review! Please. :)**


	14. Lullaby

Chapter 14 Two Years Later

"Val! Welcome back!" Cries erupted all around me as I entered the cafeteria. I had just returned from a mission that had taken three long weeks. My uniform was completely destroyed. The jacket was missing one sleeve and had huge rips in it, and my pants were ripped all over the place. There was blood and dirt all over me, and I really wanted to take a shower.

The finders I was with spread out to say hello to their friends. Lavi came running up to me, arms spread for a hug. Lenalee was right behind him. She had a huge smile on her face.

"You probably don't want to hug me," I told Lavi. "I'm disgusting."

"I don't care!" he said. He grabbed me and held me close. When he let go Lenalee took his place. I glanced around for Kanda when she stopped hugging me, but he was no where to be seen.

"He disappeared a few hours ago," Lenalee said, knowing exactly who I was looking for. I blushed. I noticed then that Lenalee had a boy with her. I would have mistaken him for an old man with his white hair, but close up he looked very young.

"Val, I'd like you to meet our newest exorcist, Allen Walker. Allen, this is Val. She's one of our top exorcists."

The white haired boy stepped forward. He hada red pentacle on his forhead and red lines that ran down from one point down his right eye. He held out his left hand, which was red and mechanical. I took it.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Allen Walker. I'm fifteen years old and I arrived to the Order while you were gone."

"Hello. I'm Valeriya Malentova. I'm eighteen and I've been at the Order since I was eight."

"Well, welcome back," Allen said. I smiled at him. I was about to ask Lenalee where Komui was, so that I could give him the recovered Innocence, when Johnny ran over.

"Val! Look at your uniform! That simply will not do!"

"Hello Johnny. Still overworked I see," I said, winking. He grinned and pulled out a measuring tape.

"Of course. Now I'm just going to get your measurements and then I have the perfect design for a uniform for you. It will be ready tomorrow!"

I stood still while he measured and when he was done, excused myself. I walked out of the cafeteria and found Komui in the library.

"Komui! I have the Innocence."

"Ah! Excellent work Val."

"Thank you. You wouldn't happen to know where Kanda is would you?" I asked. Komui cast a glance at the members of the Science Department awaiting signatures, walked around his desk and led me off to the side.

"Supervisor! You need to sign these!" Reever called after him. I shrugged apologetically for stealing Komui. Reever threw up his hands and turned around angrily.

"Well, I was walking by the destroyed hallway not too long ago, and I heard the sound of a piano being played," Komui told me. I smiled.

"Thanks! See you later. And Komui?"

"Yeah?"

"Please stop torturing the Science Department." Komui grinned sheepishly at me and walked back to his desk. I left the room.

I didn't bother to knock on the door to the piano room when I made it there. I grabbed hold of the knob and turned it, letting the door swing inward. Kanda glanced back at the noise, saw it was me and continued playing.

I waited patiently while he finished the song. I had spent much time in here, listening to the music flow through Kanda, and watching him as he poured his heart out through the keys. His body swayed with the song, matching the tempo. He played the final note and then turned on the bench.

"Hi," I said, shyly. I thought about the time when he had made me cry in the hospital. It seemed silly now. I had wanted him to express some love for me, and the coldness he showed only pushed him away. But I didn't want him to go. So, I forgave him in my mind and held tightly to the thread of love between us. On my side, I loved him more than I had ever loved another person. He was my second half, and even if he didn't reciprocate the feelings, I would always harbor them. I had no clue whether or not he loved me in the same way. I could only hope that one day he would realize that he loved me too.

"Welcome back," he said. "How was your mission? Did you retrieve the Innocence?"

"Yes," I said, smiling at his seriousness. He looked at me, from head to toe.

"You're a mess," he told me simply. I nodded and walked over to where he sat.

"I know. Johnny is going to make me a new uniform. I wanted to say 'hi' to you before I went to clean up."

Kanda gave a slight tilt of his head, a nod. Then he turned back to the piano. "So, um, while you were gone, they didn't give me any missions. So I had plenty of time to do stuff."

"Hmm."

"Yeah. I trained a lot, and tried to meditate, but eventually Lavi found me and annoyed the hell out of me, so I came here."

"Okay."

"And I wrote a song, a lullaby. For you." He was looking at the piano, tapping his fingers on the keys nervously.

"May I hear it?" I asked. He nodded.

He began to play and I was taken aback immediately. Kanda had told me that the song was for me, but I wasn't expecting it to be… about me. It was like he was a mind-reader, taking all of the pain, sorrow and grief that I had felt over the years, and he was covering it with my smiling façade and intertwining it all with the shred of hope and laughter that kept me going, and somehow Kanda transformed all of that into breath-taking notes.

I could find no words to describe the melody he played, only images and feelings came to my mind. To me, that melody, my lullaby, was like rain on a warm, summer day, not a thunder storm, but not a light sprinkle either. It was the kind of rain that came with light grey clouds, one that was expected but didn't stay too long; an almost pleasant rain. And then, you could see the clouds thinning reluctantly, not revealing the sun yet, but just enough that you could tell that it was there and that it wouldn't be hidden for long. That was my lullaby. I wouldn't have said it was a sad song, because it wasn't nor was it meant to be, but me being the emotional wreck that I was, it still brought tears to my eyes.

"That was amazing! Beautiful!" I said, when he had played the final note, which he let ring out for a while with the help of the sustaining pedal.

He didn't say anything, but continued to pluck at the keys absently. He nodded.

"Right. Well you should probably get cleaned up, and I have some stuff to do, so I'll see you later."

He stood up and left the room. I sat down on the bench he had just vacated, more than a little confused.

He had written me the most beautiful song, yet afterwards had said nothing in regards to such. I didn't understand. He seemed so indifferent, yet I knew that he loved to make his music more than he could even admit. Killing akuma was natural to him, something that he was good at. The piano was even more so. I was confused to his reaction, or lack there of, when I had told him what I thought. Of course, my saying it was amazing and beautiful didn't completely cover my true thoughts, but I assumed he would have understood that I meant them to mean more.

I got up and walked out of the room. Kanda always found a way to get my mind turning. I looked down at myself, covered in dirt and muck, and became slightly embarrased that I had let him see me this way, even though he had seen me like this many other times while on missions together. I picked up my pace as I walked to the showers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

From the get go, Allen and Kanda did not get along. The two were constantly bickering, and often, the people around them were subjected to mostly Kanda's bad mood. Occasionally Lavi would be victim to both of them, but that was only natural, as Lavi liked to tease the two.

"Shut up, will ya?" Kanda said now, to a group of Finders. "You guys are ruining my appetite by sobbing and having a memorial for the dead behind me while I eat."

Bazu, one of the Finders in mourning, let loose a stream of insults to Kanda. I was on my way to the table to sit with Kanda, but stopped near Lavi. Bazu had thrown a punch at Kanda from behind, one that he expertly dodged. Kanda whirled around and grabbed the mans throat, lifting him into the air. I started forward again to stop him.

"If you want to survive, leave. There are tons of replacements for your puny life," Kanda was saying. I was almost there, when a red hand shot out and grabbed Kanda's wrist. Allen.

"That's enough," he said quietly. "Sorry to intrude, but I don't think thats the way to talk to someone."

Kanda glared at the fifteen year old exorcist. "Get off of me, Beansprout."

"My name is Allen!"

"I'll remember that if you're still alive in a month. They drop like flies around here, just like this guy."

Allen squeezed Kanda's wrist, forcing Kanda to drop Bazu. The man gasped for air and was pulled away by his friends.

"Didn't I just say that's not the way to talk to someone?"

Kanda continued to glare. "You're gonna die before your time kid. I hate guys like you."

"Why thanks."

I was relieved when Reever showed up and called Allen over for a mission. I stepped forward and placed a hand on Kanda's back. He flinched at the touch and I immediately withdrew my hand.

"Hey. What is wrong with you?" I asked.

"I hate that kid."

"Why? You barely know him."

Kanda sat down again and continued to eat his soba. I put my food down on the table and sat down across from him.

"I went on a mission with him while you were gone. The kid thinks he can save everyone."

I nodded. I knew how much I wished I could save everyone. But it wasn't possible. I had seen so many of my comrades die.

"I'm going to meditate. You coming?" Kanda asked.

"Sure."

We walked out of the cafeteria together. Inside Lavi watched us walk away. He noticed how Kanda's hand was slightly curved towards Val's, as if Kanda was itching to grab it. Smiling to himself, Lavi continued to shovel spaghetti into his mouth.

* * *

**So I would like to thank the real Val for coming up with the description of her song. Thank you so much. **

**I wrote that song in real life and am hoping to post it to YouTube soon, so when I do I will come back and tell you all, so that you can check it out. Too bad I don't have a Kanda cosplay outfit, or I could dress up as him and play it.**

**Also, I did take some dialogue from the manga for the argument between Allen and Kanda. That belongs completely to Katsura Hoshino.**

**Finally, please review and tell me what you thought!**


	15. Butterflies

Chapter 15 The Man with the Butterflies

Komui called Kanda, Lavi, and myself to his office the next day. We, meaning I, treaded carefully around the office. I made sure to try not to step on any documents, but that proved to be impossible, as the floor was covered in papers. Komui was sitting at his desk, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"As you know," he said as we approached, "Allen and Lenalee were dispatched on a mission last night. Now it is your turn. Please sit." Komui gestured grandly to the purple loveseat in front of his desk and we sat down.

"It has become apparent that the Noah are now getting involved in the race for the Innocence."

"Noah? What are Noah?" I asked. It was Lavi who answered me.

"Only a few people know about the clan of Noah. They show up at key points in history, but you won't read about them in any history book. They're an unknow quantity on the side of the Earl."

"Thank you Lavi."

"No problem Komui."

"The introduction of the Noah means that the Earl is on the move, right Komui?" Kanda said. He had his arms folded over his chest, and managed to appear indifferent to the situation.

"Yes. The Order has recieved word of a gathering of the Noah, and we want you three to infiltrate it."

"You want us to infiltrate a Noah gathering? Komui that's crazy! We know nothing about them! Who knows how many will be there! Surely enough to overpower three exorcists!" Lavi cried.

"I realize that. But the gathering is more of a social event. A ball, to be exact. You will be at a masquerade."

"A ball! You expect me to go to a ball!" Kanda yelled.

"Don't worry Yu, I'll teach you how to dance," Lavi said, raising his eyebrows and smirking. That served to get Lavi a smack on the head.

"Alright you two! Enough! Johnny has costumes ready for you, and Val, he also has a new uniform for you. Now take these mission debriefing packets and be on your way. Good luck!"

We left a hyper Komui and went in search of Johnny. We soon found him wandering the hallways with a huge stack of papers in his hands.

"Johnny!" I called. He jumped in alarm, and the papers flew in all directions. I rushed to help him collect them.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized.

"Nah, it's okay. You guys are going on that mission?" he asked, making a messy stack of documents for Komui to sign.

"Yes."

"Okay. The costume room has your things. I labeled everything that you will need, so good luck!" he said, and then rushed off to catch Komui before the department head disappeared.

"Right. Let's go," Kanda said, leading the way. We walked down four flights of stairs, Lavi complaining the whole way, and entered the costume room.

My new uniform was hanging on the wall. It was now a floor length skirt and black shirt, with a cropped exorcist jacket. There was a wide belt like the one on Kanda's uniform. I took the clothes and stood behind a partition, where I quickly changed.

When I stepped out I saw Kanda holding his outfit for the ball, disgust contorted onto his face. It was a black suit. The jacket had coattails and there was a simple black eye mask hanging from the hanger.

"Really? A suit!" he muttered angrily, before stuffing it uncerimoniously into a suitcase.

Lavi was holding his own suit up and was eying it warily. The entire thing was gold. There was even a jewel encrusted eyepatch to match.

"There's no headband! Is my hair going to be left down then?" he asked no one in particular. I smiled and scanned the room for my own outfit.

I gasped in shock when my eyes finally found the ball gown I was to wear. The dress was light blue in color. From the way it hung on the hangar I could see that it would be an off the shoulder dress. The sleeves would come down just below my elbows, and there were cuffs of lace at the end of the sleeves. The bodice was like a corset, with ribbing and everything. The skirt poufed out grandly. It was gathered strategically with little flower brooches that had two strings of jewels hanging down from each. Underneath the skirt white tulle was visible at the hem.

"Oh my! It's beautiful!" I exclaimed. I was so excited at the prospect of wearing such an elegant gown that I could not stop smiling. Lavi picked up the mask that was hanging with the dress.

"Indeed. I like this. You'll look beautiful," he said. I blushed and grabbed the mask, which was black with blue stones.

"Only you won't be able to carry your bow," Kanda said from the other side of the room.

"What?"

"Komui has it written in the debriefing packet. Lavi and I are to carry our own Innocence, as it will be seen as part of the costume. You, however, can not. The dress won't allow it."

"You know what else the debriefing packet says?" Lavi asked, a devious smile on his face. "It says that you and Val will be going to the ball as an engaged couple. I'm your chaperone!"

"What!" Kanda ducked his head, hiding the red color that was creeping onto his cheeks.

"Really? Um. Okay."

"This is ridiculous!" Kanda said.

"You know you like it," Lavi whispered in his ear.

"Baka!" Kanda smacked him on the head, sending the red head face first on the ground.

"Please stop fighting you two! How can we complete this mission if you are going to be bickering the whole time?" I asked, as I tucked my gown carefully into a garment bag.

"Sorry Val. I'll be nice to Yuu from here on out!" Lavi said, a huge grin on his face. We could both see Kanda trying to contain his anger at being called by his given name.

"Che. Lets just go," he said angrily. He grabbed his suitcase and quickly left the room.

I sighed and grabbed my Innocence, carefully securing the bow around my back and the daggar in its holster on my belt. Lavi was already following after Kanda. I took hold of my gown and suitcase and ran to catch up.

* * *

"Miss Jessica?" said the maid at the hotel. I turned around at the use of my cover name. We all had had to choose a new alias to use for the duration of the mission.

The maid had opened my door and was holding my dress. "This just got finished with being pressed. Are you ready to change?"

"Yes. Thank you."

I felt uneasy about having someone help me change, but the dress was difficult to get into without help. And I was supposed to be ploaying the part of a high society heiress, and thus, I was supposed to get help changing anyway. My breath was knocked out of me as the girl began to tighten the bodice of the dress.

"Oh my gosh! I can't breathe!" I gasped as she pulled the strings on the corset tighter.

"I'm sorry, Miss."

The door burst open and I jumped in fright, knocking the poor woman backward. Kanda stood in the doorway, color creeping onto his face.

"Oh...um...You're changing," he said, spinning abruptly around. "I'll come back then." The door swung shut with a loud thump behind him.

"Oh dear! Does your fiancee always barge into rooms like that?"

"My fiancee?" I asked, confused. Then I remembered about the mission. "Oh. I mean, yes. Always. Its a bad habit of his, but we're working on it...Ow!"

She pulled one last time on the corset and then I was done. My hair was in an elegant coif, each curl turned into a sleek ringlet. I was wearing makeup for the first time in my life, and thought that I looked much older with it.

"Shall I get Sir Gabriel for you?"

"Um, yes, please. And Sir Wesley, if you don't mind."

The maid exited the room with a bow. I laughed to myself at the treatment. It was strange to be treated like I was royalty. I pulled on my stockings and slipped my feet into the black heels that I was to wear. I paced in the room, trying to get used to the feeling of walking in heels. I tripped numerous times.

A knock on the door startled me, and I fell.

"Miss Jessica, are you decent? I wouldn't want to walk in on you like Sir Gabriel did, naughty boy."

"Wesley!" I said embarrasedly. Lavi and Kanda strode into the room.

"I hate using these aliases. I always forget to answer when someone says my name," I said.

"Yeah," Lavi said. "Do I look like a Wesley to you?"

"You look like a Lavi."

"You look like an idiot," came Kanda's reply after me.

"Kanda!"

"It's true. I look like an idiot too. You're the only one who looks decent."

My cheeks flamed at the compliment and I ducked my head. "Oh. Um, thank you. And I think you both look wonderful!"

The gold suit that Lavi wore was the perfect compliment to his read hair. The eyepatch worked well with it. His hair was left down, but it still managed to look good the messy way it hung across his face.

And Kanda. Well, he looked incredibly handsome. His hair had been left down too, something that I knew he was probably not happy about. The suit was fitted and showed off his broad shoulders and narrow hips. The mask across his eyes served to make him look kind of dangerous, which he was. He looked amazing, even with Mugen attached to his belt.

"Come on," he said, ignoring the compliment. "Put on your mask and lets go."

* * *

"Wow! This ballroom is fantastic!" I exclaimed. Crystal chanderliers hung from the cieling and the floor gleamed. Couples twirled about, masked as various characters.

"I'm glad you like it," came a voice from behind us. We turned around to see a man with a deep tan standing behind us. He was wearing a tailored black suit and a top hat. His black curly hair was slicked back underneath it and white gloves graced his hands. He was incredibly handsome. I barely registered that he was not wearing a mask.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Tyki Mikk, one of the hosts of this grand ball. Welcome."

"Thank you," Lavi said. "I am Sir Wesley, Duke of Kent. This gentleman here is Sir Gabriel, the Archduke."

"And who might this lovely lady be," Tyki Mikk asked, taking my hand and kissing it. I blushed and giggled. Kanda looked livid.

"This is Lady Jessica, my fiancee," he said through clenched teeth, a protective tone in his voice.

Mikk looked completely at ease, despite Kanda's murderous aura. "Well, I hope you will allow me one dance with the Lady?"

"Why you-"

"Of course you may dance with Lady Jessica!" Lavi interrupted. "She loves the waltz and tango," he added.

"Why, I much prefer the tango to a waltz," Tyki said. "I will order the band to strike one up right now. Don't run away while I'm gone." He kissed my hand once more before heading to the string quartet playing on a raised platform.

"Val, what the hell are you doing?" Kanda hissed.

"What? I'm playing the part!"

"You aren't supposed to play the part with other men, just me. Act like we are getting married."

"Guys." Lavi said.

"Kanda, lots of engaged women dance with other men. I can't just decline an offer. Its called courtesy."

"Um, guys." Lavi was glancing behind us now.

"You have no clue who this man is! Hes just one of the hosts of the ball. We don't know if we can even trust him. You're going to get yourself killed."

"Guys!"

"What!" we yelled together. We turned to look at Lavi, and saw Tyki Mikk standing there, a look of mingled shock and amusement on his face.

"Oh dear," I said.

"I'm sorry if I was the cause of the disagreement between you two. I will withdraw my offer of a dance if it makes the young Archduke feel any better," he said.

"No, I would love to dance with you," I said. Kanda was being unreasonable and I wanted to prove him wrong. I allowed Tyki to lead me onto the dance floor, leaving Kanda behind looking like he was going to explode. I felt momentarily bad for Lavi.

"I'm sorry to have angered your fiancee," Mikk said to me as we started to dance. I glanced over at Kanda, who looked rather frustrated.

"He'll get over it," I said. Mikk smiled.

"His name is Gabriel, correct?"

"Yes."

"It means 'Man of God', did you know?"

"No, I did not. That's interesting."

"Indeed. So is your Gabriel a 'Man of God'?" Tyki asked as we twirled around the dance floor.

"Oh! Um. Well, yes. In a sense he is," I said.

"Hmm. I see. Would you mind to accompany me through the garden. It's gorgeous in the moonlight."

Tyki led me through the crowd of couples dancing and out of the mansion.

* * *

"Kanda! I just realized something!"

"What Lavi?" Kanda hissed through clenched teeth. "Why aren't you using my fake name? Don't screw this mission up!"

"Forget that! This is important!"

Kanda took Lavi's arm and dragged him off to the side, away from people. "What is it?"

"Val."

"Yeah?"

"She's with a Noah!"

"Are you sure!"

"Yes. Komui said that we were going to a ball hosted by some Noah. Well, didn't Mikk say that he was a host when he introduced himself?"

"Shit."

The two exorcists hurried off in search of their missing partner.

* * *

"Isn't it lovely?" Mikk asked me as he led me around the garden.

"Oh, yes. It's splendid." I glanced back behind me anxiously. We were now some distance from the house. It was no longer visible through all of the foliage and trees of the garden.

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh no, nothing. I'm just distracted."

"You should take off the mask. That will give you a better view of the flowers." Without waiting for my reply, Mikk reached over and plucked the mask from my eyes. He stared at me, a curious expression on his face.

"You look oddly familiar," he said.

"Oh? I don't believe we've ever met," I said, now on my guard. I didn't like this. Mikk started walking again, fiddling with the mask in his hands. He seemed to be contemplating something.

"Oh!" he exclaimed suddenly. I looked at him curiously. He smiled hugely, golden eyes glinting, and twirled my mask on his fingers.

"I know who you are," he stated.

"Really? And how is that?" I tried to be nonchalant, but my heart was pounding. It occured to me that this man was very dangerous.

"You're the little girl from Taininka, Russia. I had the pleasure of meeting your parents once," he told me with a sinister smile.

Then I too finally recognized those golden eyes.

*FLASHBACK! Oooo...*

"_Valeriya! Come here," she called. I stopped playing with my dolls and ran over to my mom. She wrapped her arms around me and lifted my small body up. I curled my arms around her neck and she ran with me. _

"_Alena! It's that man! He's here. Hide Val!" my father called to mom. She was crying, tears dripping from her face and into my hair. I started to cry too._

"_Mommy! What's going on?" I asked. _

"_Shh Val. I need you to be quiet. Stay in here and don't come out until he's gone," she said, opening the closet in the living room. She set me down and closed it behind her. I sat down amid the shoes and coats. Through a hole in the wood I watched. _

_Mom stood clutching Dad's arm. He was holding her awkwardly. Then he came in. He was a dark shadow, a form that I could not make out. He raised a hand and spoke in a hoarse whisper._

"_You've seen too much," he said. "I'm so sorry." His words were insincere and he smiled a smile that reached his ears. I started crying softly. Then he moved so quickly I couldn't see how it happened, but suddenly my parents crumpled to the ground, dead. A single cry escaped my throat. The man turned and smiled hugely again. His golden eyes were on the closet and he started walking forward._

_The closet door opened and I could see the man. He was tall and had dark skin, with crosses on his forehead. _

"_Well what's this?" he said. I cringed and pushed myself backward. He opened his hand, and I saw a butterfly materialize there. Then it disappeared just as swiftly._

"_I'll spare you, for now," he said. Then he was gone, disappearing through the wall._

_*END FLASHBACK!*_

That was the first time in my life I could remember the rest of that night. I started in shock.

"You were the one who killed my parents," I whispered.

"Yes. They saw me do some...ah, questionable things, and I was ordered to dispose of them. Really, they just knew too much. They could have easily gotten word to the Order, and well, that wouldn't have been good."

"I'll kill you," I said. I had never before threatened another human being. It was difficult to say, but rage was boiling up inside of me.

"Really? And how do you propose to do that?" Mikk said. He bent his head down, hand over his face, and when he looked back up, his tan had turned to gray, and there were crosses on his forehead. What terrified me was the smile. It was huge, literally running ear to ear. And it wasn't a friendly smile either.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am Lord Tyki Mikk, the Noah of Pleasure. I fight on the side of the Millenium Earl."

"You're a Noah?"

"Yes. Pleased to meet you. Now let's move on. I have a ball to host."

I turned to run, but he appeared in front of me. I stumbled back, and fell to the floor. Mikk laughed.

"You can't outrun me. I can pass through anything I want." Tyki leaned forward and with one quick movement, his hand was inside my chest. I gasped in pain and shock.

"I could pull out your heart, right now, and leave no wound on the outside."

I was gasping in terror, seeing that the end, my end, was near. Mikk must have sensed it.

"Of course, you need to die. Exorcists don't deserve to live. But don't worry. You won't even feel it. I'll make it easy on you. Why don't I just pull out your heart, instead of having my Tease eat you from the inside out?" He now had one of the butterflies in his hand. I realized that this was what he called a Tease.

"And maybe when I'm done with you, I can go after that 'fiancee' of yours. He'd make a pretty trophy."

"No! Don't go near him!"

Mikk smiled. "Ah. You don't want me to kill him? Why?"

"..."

"Do you love him?"

I hung my head, because what he said was true. I had fallen in love with Kanda. And it was the most painful thing in the world to know that I would never get to see him again.

"You do! Ah! Thats beautiful. But he doesn't love you back, does he?"

Tears began to pour down my face. It was incredibly hard to breathe.

"Am I pouring salt into an open wound? Well then, I'll make this quick. I do have to dance with many more beautiful ladies."

"Stay away from her!" yelled someone from behind. Tyki turned around, and moved to block the deadly swing from Kanda's ready katana. A purple shield sprung from his hand, but not before he bacame solid as he passed through my arm. The bone snapped.

"Ahh!" I screamed in pain, holding my arm.

"Well, well. The fiancee has come to the rescue. Of course, you two aren't really getting married. Truth is, you probably hate her guts."

Kanda swung his katana, anger etched onto his face.

"She'd tear her heart out for you," Mikk yelled. "I can tear it out literally, if you'd like. Serve it to you on a silver platter."

"You bastard!"

Kanda slivced his katana through the air, effectively breaking the shield. Mikk stared in shock.

"You've won this round exorcists! Get out, before I change my mind about retreating."

Mikk disappeared.

"Val! Val are you okay?" Kanda's face over mine was the lst thing I saw before blacking out.

* * *

**Right, so the fight scene wasn't that good, because I'm bad at writing fights. But this is one of my favorite chapters. I've had this idea since I started writing this story, and I was so happy to finally get it done. So please tell me what you think. I love reading your reviews.**

**Just as an afterthought, from the previous chapter a few people commented on the timeline. Dont worry, I know that Kanda and Allen were supposed to go on that mission together. I just altered the plot a bit to fit my story.**


	16. Surprise

Chapter 16 Surprise

**KANDAS P.O.V**

I walked into the infirmary without bothering to knock on the doors. The Head Nurse looked up angrily and glared at me.

"Now, Kanda," she said, in that annoying admonishing tone she had, "you cannot just barge in here like that. We have ill people who need to rest and they can't do that with you making all that noise."

I exhaled angrily and was about to argue in my defense, but checked myself. Instead I unclenched my fists and spoke with what was an almost calm tone. Almost.

"Can I see Val?" I asked. Nurse did not look surprised at my question, and merely shrugged.

"If she's awake. The events of your mission seem to have taken a toll on her. Her arm is broken and I think the shock of discovering who her parents' murderer is is exhausting her. Not to mention that Komui runs you all to the ground. You yourself should be due for a checkup."

"No. I'm fine," I said, backing away as she stretched her hand out toward me.

"Exorcists! Always thinking they're invincible!" she muttered to herself, before storming off angrily to wait on another moaning patient.

I walked off to where there was a partition surrounding a bed. Val had to be put in the men's wing of the infirmary, as one of Komui's experiments had gone awry and destroyed the women's wing. Like _that _hadnever happened before. I wondered why the science department didn't keep the man away from strange chemicals and stuff. Everything he created just led to disaster. Although that wasn't a bad thing in the case of the deserted experiment hall. I at least had somewhere to play my piano in peace and quiet, without nosy Finders getting in my way.

I moved the curtain aside, without bothering to announce my arrival. Val was sitting in her bed, an IV attached to the crook of her arm, reading a book. I hadn't been allowed to see her since we got back, which was about a week ago. She looked thinner, like she hadn't been eating, and she looked exhausted. Bags were under her eyes, which were red rimmed and swollen, like she'd been crying. I noticed right away something different about her.

"You've cut your hair," I said, eyeing the shoulder length locks. The untamed curls made her hair look wild, and I could tell that she hadn't combed it in a while.

"Yes. It was becoming a nuisance. I asked Nurse to cut it shorter," she said, folding the page in her book in, marking her spot. She set it down on the side table next to her bed.

"How's your arm?" I asked, gesturing to her left arm, which was in a cast and sling.

"Fine. Nurse says it should take about six weeks to heal. So I can't use my Innocence for a while," Val said, a shadow of upset passing over her face.

"Oh."

"Yeah. I'll be out of commission for a while. But I spoke with Komui yesterday and he said that the Science Department could use my help, so I'll work in there until I can use my bow again."

"You're just as likely to get killed in the Science Department as you are out battling the Earl," I muttered. Another look crossed Val's face. She twisted her hands and finally spoke.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking down at her knees. "I should have listened to you."

I understood that she was referring to when I told her to stay away from Tyki Mikk at the masquerade. I was about to say 'I told you so' but then thought better of it.

"Whatever. That's over now," I said instead.

"No 'I told you so'?" she asked, a sad look on her face. I shook my head.

"I thought about it," I said with a smirk. She smiled finally. I stood up. "I guess I should go. Let you rest."

"Okay."

I started to walk away. I reached the curtain and pulled it back, creating a view of the rest of the infirmary.

"Hey Kanda?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Che." I stepped out from the curtain and walked away, looking back at where Val was behind the partition lying in her bed. I shook my head and opened the door to the hospital wing, contemplating what Val was thanking me for.

**VAL'S P.O.V.**

"You're free to go," Nurse told me about a week after Kanda came to visit me in my hospital bed. She had kept me for much longer than necessary, but I was grateful for her care.

"Thank you very much," I said, swinging my legs over the side of my bed and standing up. I pulled on my dressing robe and slipped on a pair of black slippers similar to the ones that I borrowed from Kanda when I first arrived at the Order, ten years before.

"Take care Val," she said. I nodded and left the infirmary.

I strolled through the halls, noticing that they were mysteriously empty. I wondered in alarm if there was a rogue experiment of Komui's on the loose and if everyone was hiding in order to secure their lives. I sincerely hoped there wasn't.

I opened the door to the cafeteria, but there was no one there either, except a few small gatherings of people. It was odd to see the whole of the Order practically deserted when it was usually so bustling. Something in the back of my mind warned me that something was wrong, but I pushed the thoughts away.

I was sure that Kanda was confused as to why I thanked him yesterday. His brow had furrowed and he had got that slightly dazed look that he sometimes got when something was unsure.

I was thanking him for caring. What the Noah had said to me at the ball, about Kanda not liking me back, it hurt. A lot. I didn't want it to be true. And I know that Kanda has his way of showing emotion, so I knew that what Mikk said wasn't true. How could Kanda not like me too, if he reacted the way he did? I had the strong feeling that he wanted to be more than friends too.

I walked into the training room, now, prepared to see someone doing some sort of exercise with their Innocence. I half expected to see Kanda and Allen in some kind of brawl, but there was no one here either.

I turned and left the room, walking toward the Science wing. A voice from behind made me stop walking.

"Val!"

I turned around to see Komui walking toward me, accompanied by Reever. I smiled and waved at them with my good arm, a huge smile on my face.

"Have you two seen Kanda?" I called. They didn't answer me, instead kept walking toward me. I kept the smile on my face, but it faded as soon as they were close enough for me to make out their expressions.

They were both looking tired, as always, with bags under their eyes. What caught my attention was that their eyes were etched with pain and sadness, and there were tear tracks running down their faces.

"What? What's going on?" I asked, panicked.

"Please follow us. I'm sorry," Komui said. I practically sprinted after them.

A casket in the center of the room was the first thing I saw. My eyes trailed over it, over the banner that showed it was an exorcist inside. I looked around at all the people there. Tiedoll, Marie, Allen, Lavi, Lenalee, and some other guys from the Science department all had tears in their eyes. Kanda looked up solemnly as I entered.

"What's going on?" I repeated, my body filling with dread. No one spoke.

Then, "It's Daisya. He's dead."

I choked out a mangled sob. Daisya, my friend, gone. I collapsed to the ground. I expected to feel my knees scream in pain when they connected with the floor, but they didn't. Strong arms were holding me up, turning me around, and crushing me into someone's torso. I sobbed into his uniform.

"How?" I heard Allen ask.

"He has no visible wounds, but when we performed the autopsy we found that he was missing his—"

"Enough!" Kanda yelled when I let out another muffled sob. I realized it was he who allowed me to cry into his chest.

"Kanda?" Komui asked, shock at this outcry evident in his voice.

"That's enough," he repeated, voice filled with anger. He hand pushed on my back gently, and we walked away. We didn't need to know how Daisya died. I already knew just how Tyki Mikk worked.

Kanda led me back to my room, opening the door and not bothering to turn on the light. I sat down on the bed, unable to think of anything to say, unsure of how to act. He turned to leave and I panicked. I grasped his hand, pulling him back and preventing him from walking away. I tried to voice my need for company.

"Kanda…I…don't" I choked out. He understood and sat down next to me. I drew in a shaky breath, before leaning into him and sobbing.

He stiffened, and then wrapped me in his arms. I was soon curled against his chest.

"Don't leave," I whispered. "Please."

"I'll stay. I'll stay as long as you need me," he said. He held me while I cried myself to sleep.

**KANDA'S P.O.V**

It was hard to believe that Daisya was gone. We hadn't been the best of friends, but it's not like I hated him. I liked him enough.

Truthfully, I felt horrible for Val. I didn't like seeing her in pain. I hated it. Of all the things that I hated, I hated that the most.

Because, I can't deny this any longer. I hate seeing her like this because… Gah! This shouldn't be so hard to say. Okay. Because…

I love her.

* * *

**I'm sorry that it took me so long to post. And I'm sorry that this chapter is so short. Please don't hate me, and review. Show me you still like my story.**


	17. Birds in the Sky

Chapter 17

I was out on one of the balconies that the Order had, leaning up against the stone fence that prevented people from falling over. The air was chilly, and I had a scarf wrapped tightly about my neck, protecting it from the cold air. My hair blew around my face and the wind whipped at the dressing robe I was wearing. My slippered feet were starting to get cold.

I had managed to steal away for some alone time. It wasn't that I didn't want to be around Kanda. Being with him made me feel better, because with Kanda I knew that I didn't have to say anything. He would silently understand everything that went through my mind, just by how I stood and my facial expressions.

Kanda had spent the past couple of days in my room, never leaving me. I could tell he was exhausted, because when I was supposed to be sleeping I snuck in a couple of peeks at him, and every time I looked he was awake, staring at the wall, sometimes watching me. I could tell that he was trying so hard to make sure that I was okay.

Thankfully, the one time that I really fell asleep, I woke up to find him leaning forward slightly in his chair, eyes closed. I managed to sneak away from my room silently without waking him. He needed rest, and I felt awful that I was keeping him from his normal sleeping habits.

I had come to the balcony, because I needed to get out of the confines of the walls. It was stifling. I wanted to run away, get away from all this pain. I hated seeing my friends die, one by one. Eventually, they'd all be gone.

Tears started to pour down my face again, and I buried my face in my hands. I stood there, crying, for a long time. I started when a hand suddenly was on my back, rubbing small circles. I turned, and saw Lavi. He smiled at me, and reached out, a tissue in his hand.

"Here, hun," he said. I took it and wiped my eyes, turning back to the railing to stare over the grounds. Lavi came to stand next to me, leaning with his elbows on the stone and cupping his chin in his hands.

We stayed like that, silently, for what seemed like eternity. I didn't say anything, and I didn't feel the need to anyway. Everything was empty. Words seemed so unimportant.

A loud bang erupted from somewhere below, and I watched as birds fluttered, startled, from their nests in the trees.

"I wonder what it's like to be a bird," Lavi said. "To be able to fly free, nothing holding you down."

I didn't say anything, unsure of how to respond. He didn't turn towards me, instead gazed out above the treetops. I took that to mean that a reply was unneccesary.

"They're completely safe up there," he continued. "Well, for the most part. I suppose there could be larger birds out there just waiting to prey on them. But regardless, theyre safe. Down on the ground though, they have to be always prepared for the tiger waiting to pounce."

I realized that he was comparing the birds to us exorcists. Here, at the Black Order Headquarters, high up in the air, away from the rest of civilization, we were completely safe. For the most part, when you took into account Komui's crazy, often life threatening, inventions. It was out in the rest of the world that we were in the most trouble. It was out there where we were most succeptible to an attack by the Earl, where we risked our lives and where some lost theirs.

"Lavi?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"Hmm?"

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Stay so strong as all of your friends die."

He turned to look at me, eyes slightly narrowed. The expression was not a mean one; he was merely contemplating what I said. I sat down, leaning my back against the hard stone of the Order's wall.

"I don't know. It affects me too. I guess I like to keep the premise of strength and being unaffected by all of this to keep up my tough guy image," he said, with a joking tone at the last part.

"Tough guy image?" I repeated.

"But really Val, I feel it. I did know Daisya, perhaps not quite as well as you and Kanda, but well enough. He was a good guy. He didn't deserve this."

"None of us do," I said. Lavi nodded, still leaning against the barricade. I bent my knees up to my chest and folded my arms across them, resting my forehead on my arms. Suddenly I was exhausted.

It was quiet. I had become used to the quiet that constantly surrounded Kanda and I for the past few days. Conversing with people had become a strain, and I chose the solituded of my room over the din of the cafeteria. But now, this silence was incredibly loud. Of course, it didn't last.

"Where. Is. Val," Kanda said angrily, bursting through the door to the balcony and lunging for Lavi, grabbing him by his jacket.

"Hey! Take it easy!"

"Where is she, baka usagi? I've been looking all over for her!"

"She's right there!" Lavi said, pointing at me on the ground. Kanda glared at him and released his hold, coming over to me. He held out his hand.

"Come on," he said, rather angrily. I reached up and took his hand. He pulled my up, somewhat roughly, and led me away. He didn't let go of my hand until we were back at my room.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked.

"You haven't been sleeping, so I thought that you could use rest."

"Well, you should have woken me up. I was worr-" he broke off mid-sentence, face growing red.

"You were what?" I asked.

"Nothing."

"Kanda, you can't start a sentence and not finish it."

"Fine! I was worried! Happy now?"

A small smile crept to my lips. He was worried about me. He cared. I wanted to know if he felt the same way about me that I did about him. I wanted to know if he loved me too. I wanted to ask, but it was too hard.

"I'm sorry," I said instead.

"No. I'm sorry. I overreacted. But, please don't do that again."

"I won't."

"Good," he said, sitting down next to me on my bed. I leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder. His hand slipped into mine, seemingly unconsciously. I started, shocked. He looked at me, curiously.

"What?" he asked. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said, leaning my head against his shoulder again, enjoying the feeling of my hand intertwined with his.

* * *

**This is a really crappy chapter. I'm sorry. But I havent posted in a while and I wanted to give everyone a holiday present. So I wrote this. I hope it isn't as bad as I think it is. Please review and let me know.**

**Happy Holidays! :)**


	18. Dance, Dance, Fight!

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"Val! Come on!" Kanda called. "I'm hungry!" I grabbed my exorcist jacket and slipped it on. Kanda gave me a look that clearly said he was losing patience. I rushed out of my room and he slammed the door behind me.

We walked at a steady pace toward the cafeteria. It had been a week since the death of Daisya and a week since anyone in the Order, other than Kanda and Lavi, had seen me. Kanda had said this morning that it was time to stop hiding. I agreed. I couldn't hide anymore. It was too difficult to shut myself away from everyone.

Kanda's pace was rapid, and I was jogging to catch up with him. This was a bad idea, for when I took the corner I smashed right into Miranda. Kanda reacted quickly, one arm encircling my waist to keep me from toppling over. Miranda, however, was not so lucky. I heard Kanda make a noise, and when I looked up at him, still in his arms, he was smirking at me. I stood up and held out my hand to Miranda.

"I'm so sorry," i apologized as she took my hand and pulled herself up. She shook her head at me.

"Oh no. I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," she replied.

"No really, I'm sorry. It was all my fault," I rushed to say.

"No. It was mine! I can't do anything right! I'm so sorry!"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been running in the halls!" I insisted.

"Please Val. It was all my fault. I apologize!"

"Miranda, it was my fault. Really. I'm sorry."

Miranda opened her mouth to protest some more, but a low growl from Kanda silenced us both. We turned to look at him. His face was tight and I could tell he was annoyed.

"Sorry!' we said simultaneoulsy. He glared at us and walked off.

"Kanda!" Miranda called.

"Yuu!" I cried at the same time.

"JUST SHUT UP!" he yelled back angrily. I looked at Miranda and burst out laughing. She looked shocked at my sudden outburst of happiness.

"I'm sorry," I said. I couldn't stop laughing. "Why don't we just say it was both our faults?"

"Alright," she said. She turned and looked down the hall. An odd expression crossed her face and I followed her gaze. There was nothing unusual at the end of the hallway.

She looked at me with a smile. "I'm glad you are feeling well enough to walk about, Val."

"Thank you. Are you coming to the cafeteria?"

"Yes, I'll be along. You should go," she said. "Kanda's waiting for you."

I looked at her curiously, but she just smiled and went on her way. I continued down the hall and turned the corner.

"Took you long enough," Kanda said, his steps joining mine. I shrieked and jumped. Hand on my collarbone, I turned to face him.

"You scared me," I said breathlessly.

"Obviously. Stop dawdling," he commanded. I rushed to catch up to him.

The mood in the cafeteria was a somber one. No one was eating, though Jerry's cooking was probably as good as ever. Even Allen, who was always so excited for lunch time, could do nothing more than stare at his mountain of food.

We were sitting at one of the long, rectangular tables with Lenalee, Kanda, and Lavi. I kept glancing at Kanda, who was grasping his chopsticks so tightly that his knuckles were white. I wondered if he felt the same pain I did about Daisya.

He glanced at me and I turned my head down. Tears prickled at my eyes and started to run down my face. A hand grasped mine underneath the table. I looked down and traced the arm back to Kanda. He squeezed my hand, letting me know that he was there, that he cared.

We all sat in silence. The table shook when Lavi got up with his tray of food. I watched him as he crossed the cafeteria. He turned to see me staring and winked. Then, before disappearing out the door, he grinned that mysterious grin that I had come to know, love, and fear.

When he returned it was with one of the men from the Science Department. The man was carrying a violin. Lavi stalked up to Miranda, who had arrived shortly after Kanda and me, and bowed. She blushed head to toe.

"May I have this dance?" Lavi asked. The violin began to produce a flowing waltz. Miranda allowed herself to be twirled by Lavi. Soon she was smiling and laughing.

I watched, a smile forming on my face. Lavi was grinning while he and Miranda twirled around the cafeteria. Finders evacuated their seats and pushed the benches and tables against the wall to make more room. The song ended and Lavi kissed Miranda's hand, causing her to look as if she might faint.

"Keep playing," Lavi commanded. I was smiling when he walked up to me. He raised his eyebrows and extended his hand to me. It took me a minute to realize that he was asking me to dance and I felt my cheeks flame.

"Oh, I don't know, Lavi," I said.

"Come on Val! It'll be fun," he replied with a smile. HE tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrows. I looked around to see everyone staring at us. Kanda was glaring at Lavi. I laughed and took his hand. Lavi pulled me to the center of the room and we began to dance.

Soon Allen had asked Lenalee to dance. Miranda and Krory were twirling around. People all around were asking each other to dance.

"Are you doing okay?" Lavi asked.

"I don't know," I replied.

"I see. How's Yuu?" he questioned. I glanced over at Kanda. He was watching everyone dance through narrowed eyed with his arms folded tightly over his chest.

"I think he's doing okay. I know the loss of Daisya shocked him a bit." Lavi considered this for a moment.

"Well I'm glad he's taking care of you."

"What?"

"Don't play dumb. He hasn't left your side since we heard the news of Daisya's death. And I saw him hold your hand earlier while you were crying."

"Oh." I blushed. Lavi grinned. I smiled and we started to laugh. Then the cafeteria doors burst open. Everyone froze. Kanda was at my side in a moment.

"What is going on?" Leverrier yelled, a frazzled Komui standing next to him. "Should you not be mourning? There's work to be done! All of you, finish dining and continue with your work. This is not the time to be dancing. We have a war to win."

All of the joy left me. Anger burned in my veins. Why did he have to come here and ruin our fun? Strong hands gripped my shoulders.

"Let's go," Kanda whispered. We walked toward the doors, where Leverrier was still standing. We passed him, Kanda glaring at the Director.

"Just one moment, Kanda. Val. I'd like to talk to you two." The director grinned a cold, uninviting grin. I ducked my head, refusing to look at this cruel man. I knew that Lenalee was terrified of him, and while I didn't know why, I was sure that she had reason.

Kanda and I walked behind him as he led us to Komui's office. Komui walked by us and picked up his coffee mug, looking childish with the bunny mug. Leverrier glanced at the Chief in contempt, before gesturing grandly to the purple loveseat, where Mari was sitting, waiting.

"Won't you have a seat," he said, somehow managing to phrase the question as an order. I took a seat next to Mari, who smiled at me, but Kanda continued to stand, arms folded across his chest as he glared at the man in utter hatred.

"Sit, please. I insist," Leverrier said to Kanda. Kanda opened his mouth to retort, but Komui, sensing danger, stopped him.

"Kanda," Komui said, a warning tone in his voice. Kanda let out a barely audible sigh and crossed to the other side of the sofa, sitting down next to me, perched on the edge.

"That's better," Leverrier said. He sat down at Komui's desk, leaning back in the chair, hands resting on his stomach. A tray of delectable looking pastries sat on the desk, covering some paperwork probably awaiting Komui's signature. I watched as the director lifted one from the tray and popped it into his mouth.

"It is time for you three to begin a mission. We are sending all the exorcists out in groups in search of the generals. I'm assuming that you three can guess whom you are looking for?" he said with a smirk.

"Che."

"Is that a 'yes', Kanda Yuu?"

"I don't allow anyone to say my first name."

"Of course, I understand. Now answer my question."

"...yes."

"Good. Now we believe that Tiedoll is somewhere in Spain. You should read the debriefing packet and head right along on your way."

Kanda stood up and chucked the debriefing packet he had received at Leverrier. The director caught it before it hurtled into his sweets.

"Careful, Kanda. Those were very time consuming to make. Would you like one?"

"I hate sweets. And don't you have anything better to do than bake? Say, I don't know, _fight a war_?"

The grin faded from the director's face. He stood up, palms on the desk.

"You forget your place, exorcist," he spat angrily.

"I know exactly where my place is, director," said Kanda evenly. He held his glare with the director, who was the first to turn away.

"Watch yourself, Kanda. You don't want to be disrespectful."

"Obviously I do, if I'm saying such things. Honestly, you'd think that the Order would be run by someone with more common sense."

"Kanda!" Komui yelled. "That's enough. Please go. Complete your mission."

Kanda glared at Komui, but turned on his heel and walked from the room. I looked at Komui, wishing I could apologize, but knowing that what Kanda said to the director was true. Marie placed a hand on my arm and led me from the room.

"Kanda is going to get himself into trouble with that attitude," Mari said.

"I know," I replied.

"He needs to be careful what he says. I have a feeling that the director will be here for some time."

I nodded, aware that Mari would sense the movement. We made our way to the underground canal, where Kanda was already waiting for us.

* * *

**Its taken me a while, I know. I'm sorry. Don't let your hatred of me stop your fingers from typing a review though! I would love to hear what you thought of this chapter.**


	19. Espana

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

It was snowing great, fat flakes down on the city. We made our way to the train station, me slipping and sliding on the wet cobblestones. I almost face planted into a vendor selling jewelry. Luckily, Kanda kept me from knocking over the whole display. He let go of my waist after helping me stand upright. My skin burned where his hand had been.

I followed along after Kanda and Mari. We soon reached the station, and boarded the train. A finder was there, waiting for us. He led us to a compartment and we entered. I thanked him as he closed the door behind us.

"Look at it outside!" I said, as the snow began to fall down even harder.

"It's disgusting."

"Kanda! It's beautiful," I said.

"I hate snow."

"It reminds me of that time we had the snowball fight!"

"Che."

"What happened?" Mari asked.

"It was so much fun. I'll tell you."

* * *

_ I looked out the window of my room to see that the grounds of the Order were blanketed in snow. The trees looked like they were bending under the weight of the snow, and the waterfall was frozen. I changed quickly and dashed out of my room, ready to run outside in the fluffy snow._

_ "Kanda!" I called, knocking on his door. I heard grumbling from the other side of the door, and it was opened by an irritated looking Kanda. _

_ "What?" he snapped, hopping on his toes._

_ "It's snowing!"_

_ "I realize, idiot. The floor is freezing!" _

_ "Put on some socks, then."_

_ He rolled his eyes at me, holding up the pair that he held loosely in his hand. "I was about to when you interrupted me to state the obvious."_

_ "We need to go outside," I said, ignoring his comment._

_ "I hate the snow."_

_ "Please?"_

_ "Absolutely not. Let's go to the cafeteria. I need hot soba and tea." He pulled a black sweater over his head and zipped up his boots. I followed him down the hall._

_ "It's really pretty outside," I said._

_ "Che."_

_ "How can you disagree?"_

_ "Because snow is cold, wet, and disgusting. And I hate it."_

_ I sighed and slowed down as we came to the cafeteria. Kanda opened the door and stepped into line. I followed after him. Lavi entered soon after us and waltzed right up to us in line._

_ "Hey guys!" he said, throwing his arms around us. Kanda looked like he was about to threaten violence, but instead just ducked underneath Lavi's arm to escape. _

_ "So I'm staging a snowball fight on the lawn. It's going to be epic! You guys in?"_

_ "Yeah! I love snowball fights!"_

_ "Awesome. Kanda?"_

_ "Hell no."_

_ "Aw. Please? For me?" Lavi made a pouting face. Kanda swung a punch to his stomach, making the pout disappear. _

_ "Oof!" Lavi clutched his stomach._

_ "Serves you right, baka usagi."_

_ "Who else is coming?" I asked._

_ "You, me, Allen, Lenalee, Krorykins, and Miranda. We asked Reever to ward off Komui."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "I don't want to get my arms chopped off for throwing a snowball at Lenalee."_

_ "Oh. That's a good idea."_

_ "Yeah. Are you sure you don't want to play, Kanda?"_

_ "Che."_

_ "Fine. I guess I should find Allen then," Lavi said, defeated._

_ "Why?" I asked._

_ "To tell him that he was right. He bet me that Kanda wouldn't play. I think his words were, and I quote, 'Kanda won't play, because he knows that I'll crush him. He's just a scared little girl.'" _

_ I was surprised that Lavi kept a straight face through his lie. It was impressive. I should take lessons from him on how to be deceitful._

_ Kanda glared at Lavi and walked away._

_ "Oi! Where are you going?" Lavi called after him._

_ "To find a snowball to bash into that Moyashi's face."_

_ "Yes!" Lavi cried, punching the air. "Success!"_

_ I shook my head at him as he walked away, happy at tricking Kanda into joining the fight._

_ Later that day we made our way to the grounds of the Order. Lavi was already outside, building a fort to protect himself from snowballs. Lenalee was making a snowman with Allen and Miranda. Krory was standing behind them, looking positively frightened, though at what I was unsure._

_ Kanda looked at Lavi, who was busy building up one side of his uneven fort, and grabbed a handful of snow, molding it into a perfect ball. He tossed it in his hand. I watched him curiously._

_ "Let's get this over with," he said to me. I smiled. He pulled his arm back and pitched his entire weight forward, letting go of the snowball. It hit Lavi hard, knocking him off balance and plunging him head first into his snow fort. It collapsed under his weight._

_ "Yu!"he whined, "That took me forever to build. You're going down!" He grabbed a snowball and launched attack, aiming at Kanda, who ducked out of the way. The snowball hit Lenalee. _

_ "Lavi!" she cried, entering the fray. Soon all of us had been hit by snowballs and war was being waged, every man for himself. _

_ I ran around, throwing snowballs blindly, and getting hit by as many as I threw. Kanda ran out toward me, an evil grin on his face, snowball in hand. I dropped to the ground._

_ "I surrender!" I yelled. He slowed and walked up to me. _

_ "Do you?"_

_ "Yes!"_

_ "I didn't think you'd give in so easily." He looked at me and I found myself entranced by his beauty. I stood up, holding a snowball hidden in my hand. _

_ "What can I say?" I said. "I don't like fighting." Then I smashed the snowball in his face. He made a strangled cry, grabbing a snowball._

_ "You better run for your life." And I did. I sprinted away. But I knew it was to no avail. Kanda was much faster than I, and soon he had tackled me into the snow. I fought as hard as I could, but it didn't save me from receiving a snowball to the face. _

_ "Truce!" I cried, laughing in the snow. I lay on my back, breathing hard. Kanda was laying next to me, his chest rising with each breath. I felt the world melt away as he turned his head to smile at me. There was nothing but me and him. _

_ "Val?" he said, his face turning red._

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "Um. I..." He paused, trying to form the right words. "I think that I-" _

_ Snow fell down on both of us. I struggled upright. Lavi had launched a giant snowball at us, using his Innocence._

_ "Better run, Val! I'm after you next!" _

_ I ran away, seeing snowballs pass me as I dodged through the trees. Soon I was at the edge of the grounds, the cliff behind me. Lavi was advancing on me. He launched a giant snowball at me._

_ I stepped back, and felt the edge of the cliff. There was nothing I could do as the snowball came at me, likely to push me off the edge. I cringed and covered my face. And then I heard yelling._

_ "Baka usagi! You could have killed her!" Kanda was standing in front of me, Mugen in his hand. It became apparent that he had sliced the snowball into pieces before it hit me. He was breathing hard, the vein in his forehead bulging. I could tell that he was furious._

_ Lavi could tell too. "Kanda, it was an accident. I wasn't thinking."_

_ "You won't be able to think again, once I'm through with you." _

_ Lavi bolted away, Kanda chasing after him with his invoked Innocence._

* * *

"Lavi managed to make it to safety with the science department before Kanda did any real damage though," I said. I left out the part about the world melting away when I told Mari the story. It felt too personal, and I wanted to keep that moment between Kanda and myself.

"Kanda, you really should learn to control your temper," Mari said.

"Che." Kanda folded his arms and glared out the window for the rest of the ride.

The train jerked to a stop in the Barcelona station. I lurched forward in my seat, falling to the floor, and smacked my hands on the ground. Kanda, who barely even flinched at the abrupt stop, smirked down at me. I felt a blush creep on to my face.

"How is it," Kanda said, "that you are deadly on the battlefield, but in danger of killing yourself off of it?"

"I don't know!" I said angrily, accepting his outstretched hand and allowing him to pull me up. We stood, inches apart and eyes locked, for a moment. My breath got shallow.

"Val, are you all right?" Mari asked from the platform as Kanda and I stepped off the train.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why?"

"You're breathing changed. I wondered if something was wrong." If my face wasn't red before, that comment certainly made me feel like my cheeks were on fire. Kanda smirked at me.

"Let's go," I said, eager to escape the embarrassing situation. We walked off the platform and began our stroll through the station. My ears were assaulted by the Spanish language and I kept looking everywhere. I tried to absorb as much as I could. I hoped that it looked like I was searching for the general, rather than at the sights. I didn't think that I could bear anymore taunting from Kanda.

Kanda hailed a cab and we piled into the carriage. The driver cracked his whip and the horses, great big Andalucians, started to pull us forward.

"Can you hear him, Mari?" Kanda asked.

"No. There's too much noise interfering in this city. I need to be somewhere quieter." He turned his head away, as if to stare at the city passing by. I looked down at my hands.

"Daisya should be here too," I said. Kanda glared at me, and I immediately regretted my statement.

"Val, stop," he said.

"I'm sorry." I looked down at my knees.

We drove in silence, the quiet only punctured by our breaths and grunts from the horses. The noise of the city surrounded us.

All of the sudden, it was silent. The air was stagnant around us, seemingly tangible. All of the people had gone, disappeared from the streets.

"What's going on?" I asked. The cab driver turned around, a gun protruding from his face. I screamed, not having enough time to retrieve my bow or dagger and attack.

An explosion knocked us from the carriage. I tumbled to the cobblestones, landing hard on my side. My hands scraped against the stones and I felt blood trickle down my forehead. Ignoring the pain, I quickly readied my bow with an arrow.

"Damn it!" Kanda snarled, spitting blood from his mouth. He was drenched in blood from the akuma cab driver. "It's a trap. They know we're here."

"Keep alert!" Mari ordered. "I'm listening."

We walked down the street in silence, our boots clicking on the stone. Nothing attacked, but instead of easing my nerves, it only heightened them. The streets were deserted still, but I felt like there would be an attack at any second. I could feel my blood rushing in my veins.

We continued our trek about the city, but half an hour later there was still no attack. Kanda was getting visibly irritated, his mouth pressed into a hard line and his eyes were straight slits. His grip on Mugen was tight, and his knuckles were white from the pressure of his grip on the hilt of the katana.

"Maybe the Earl only sent one akuma?" I ventured to say. Kanda whipped around and glared at me. The look in his eyes looked like he wanted to kill me.

"What! It's possible," I said, defending myself.

"Why would the Earl send only one? That makes no freaking sense. This is bull. The Earl is a damn fool then!" Kanda seethed.

"I don't know! Don't yell at me. This isn't _my_ fault!"

"Are you implying that it's _my_ fault?" He folded his arms across my chest. I was aghast.

"What! Of course not. Don't be so-"

"So what? Don't be so what?"

"Naive."

"Naive! I'm naive! Look at you! You're worse than Moyashi!"

"Kanda! Allen is not…I'm not…"

"Don't act like you think you're better than me, then." He turned his back on me. My cheeks flamed and hot tears burned my eyes.

"Of course I don't think that," I said in a small voice. Kanda turned around and dropped his arms from his chest.

"I'm sorry, Val," he said. He reached over and brushed a tear from my cheek. Then he wrapped me in his arms. "I didn't mean any of that."

"I know," I said. I relished the feeling of his arms around me, protecting me.

An explosion knocked me back into reality. Just like that, Kanda was on the other side of the street, Mugen invoked in his hand. He sliced into the level one and it exploded in a mess of metal and blood. I looked up the street and saw the swarm. This was going to be a wicked battle. I nocked an arrow and shot.

* * *

"There are more coming!" Mari yelled. Sure enough, in the sky a huge hoard of at least fifty akuma was flying toward us. I surveyed our already dim situation. Mari had cuts all over his arms, and Kanda was a mess of cuts and injuries. It was impossible to decipher whether or not the blood coating his clothing and body was mostly of his own or mostly from the akuma. I felt a cold panic creeping into my chest, worry attacking my mind.

It seemed irrational for me to be so worried about Kanda over myself, even though I knew that he was able to heal from even the most dangerous and life threatening lacerations and injuries. For some reason, I couldn't help but put his safety in front of my own. With Kanda, what worried me most was that he never stopped for a moment, no matter what. It was like he didn't even notice the blood that was trailing from his head until after the attack was over.

The swarm was upon us now. It was like a great black cloud, blocking the sun and keeping the town in a constant shade. I could see mostly Level Ones, some Level Twos. Kanda was already on the attack, sending Hell's Insects to kill numerous akuma at a time.

I shot arrow after arrow at the demons, not even pausing to watch as their shells exploded and blood spattered the cobblestones. I was killing mostly Level One akuma, while the Level Two's seemed to be targeting Kanda. He was surrounded by a group of four of the demons, each one dancing about, taunting him. I longed to go help him, but every time I thought I had a chance, more Level One demons would attack me. I could only focus on what was before me.

After what felt like two days of fighting, the battle finally ended. Kanda was lying on the ground, being tended to by Mari. He had sustained multiple injuries from the Level Two akuma, but already the deep cuts on his chest and arms were beginning to heal. His face was beginning to get back its still pale color.

I was sitting on the sidewalk, my knees pulled into my chest, resting my chin on my knees. My stomach was in knots, and I felt like I was going to throw up. Even though I knew Kanda would heal quickly, every time he was injured I was filled with an incessant worry. It was as if my mind rejected the thought that Kanda was going to heal, even though I knew that his healing was more likely than anyone else's.

A few moments later, I saw a shadow fall on the ground near me. I looked to my left as Kanda sat down on the ground next to me. His arm was in a makeshift sling, and blood matted his hair, which had fallen out of its ponytail. He looked exhausted.

"You look terrible," he said to me.

"Thanks," I replied. I leaned back and rested my hands behind me.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Che."

"What's up with your arm?"

"Broken. It should heal in a day or two. Hopefully we don't have another surprise attack."

I nodded. It made me nervous that Kanda was injured in such a way. It would be difficult for him to wield Mugen with a broken arm, though I knew that he would ignore all pain to make the kill. I didn't want him to make his injury any worse.

"Where's Mari?" I asked, after glancing around and not finding the other member of our team.

"He's out scouting the area, listening for more akuma. The General must be near if the Earl is that insistent on sending akuma to attack. We must be getting close."

"I hope so."

I looked away from Kanda, tears blurring my vision. I wished the fighting would end. I was tired of losing friends and family. I felt an arm circle my shoulders and I rested my head on Kanda's shoulder. It felt wonderful to have a reassuring arm around me. In all my worst times, I knew he would always be there to protect me.

Mari returned shortly after, and, having not discovered any more akuma, suggested that we go to our hotel and get cleaned up. The city was becoming alive with life again, and we were garnering curious and hostile stares. Kanda and I stood up, and we followed Mari as he led us to our hotel.

When we arrived, the manager at the desk looked terrified at the sight of three armed people covered in blood entering his hotel.

"We would like two rooms. We come in the name of the Black Order," Mari said.

"I-I-I….um…well we only have one room available," the man stammered. Kanda smirked at the man's discomfort.

"That will be perfectly acceptable."

"Oh. Um. Well, yes. I'll get you a key right away." I laughed to myself at his obvious wishing that we would go to some other hotel. He walked into a side room and returned with a brass key, with a number painted on it. Then he pointed us to the elevator and we made our way to our room.

Mari cleaned himself up and then headed off to get food. I was sitting on the couch in our room, brushing my hair, while Kanda was cleaning up.

"Val, can you help me?" Kanda had left the bathroom. He was dressed in a pair of black pants and a white button down shirt, left casually untucked. His left arm was in its sling and in his right hand was a length of red cord. His hair was hanging loosely down his back.

"The ever independent Yu Kanda is asking for help?" I said with mock shock. "This is a moment we need to document. Who has a camera?"

His face flushed red angrily as he whipped the cord at me. It hit me on my neck.

"Just help me put my hair up, idiot," he snapped. I smiled and helped him pull his hair back into the ponytail, leaving out two long strands on both sides of his face, as was custom for him.

"There you go," I said.

"Thanks."

"You are very welcome."

"Che."

He strode across the room and sat down on the couch, putting his bare feet up on the coffee table. He contented himself with looking out the window. To keep from staring at how beautiful he was, I busied myself with making tea in the kitchen. When I was done, I cam e over with two hot cups of tea. I held out one to Kanda.

He took the cup and sipped at the tea.

"You make good tea," he said, after taking the first sip. I smiled as he continued to drink.

"Thanks," I replied. We sat in silence for a while as we drank. Kanda leaned forward and set his empty cup on the coffee table.

"Val?" he said after a while.

"Hmm?"

"I…um…never mind."

"What is it?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"It's nothing. Forget it."

* * *

I couldn't say it. No matter how many times I tried, the words never came out. It was like my mind was playing tricks on me. I wanted to tell her, but every time I tried, my mind suddenly second guessed itself.

"It's nothing. Forget it."

"Oh," she said, staring down into her cup of tea. I stood up, suddenly wanting an escape. I went into the kitchen with my cup, and poured myself more tea. I gulped it down, scalding my tongue and throat on the hot liquid. I gasped in pain and I heard her ask what was wrong. I ignored her, though, and chased the tea down with cold water, loving the feel of it sooth my burning throat.

I went back to the couch, and sat down next to her. She looked at me, concerned, but I brushed her fear away, pretending that everything was perfectly fine.

I wondered to myself how everything could be perfectly fine if I couldn't bring myself to tell her how I really felt about her.

* * *

**Sorry it's taken me so long to post. I've been busy and have had writer's block. Please review this chapter for me. I'll try my best to post the next chapter soon. **


	20. Dreams

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

When I awoke the next morning, Kanda and Mari were gone from the hotel room. As is custom for me, I felt a cold panic creep into my veins. I thought perhaps something terrible had happened to them. I shot out of bed and started fumbling around like a maniac, when I saw a piece of paper with Kanda's thin, scratchy handwriting on it.

_Val,_

_Mari and I have gone out to scope the city._

_We will be back soon._

_Don't worry. Relax._

_Kanda_

I read and re-read the note. Of course Kanda knew me well enough to know that I would be worrying about them. It was impossible for us to have been friends for so long without him discovering my inability to not worry over tiny things.

My relationship with Kanda was something that I needed to think about. Things used to be so much simpler, when we were younger. Granted, even when we were young, we were old. War makes a child grow up fast, especially a child living in the Black Order, learning how to fight akuma and become an exorcist. When we were younger, I knew exactly where I stood with Kanda. He was my best friend, and I was his. There was no uncertainty on my part about my feelings for him.

Now, though, I wasn't quite so certain. Whenever Kanda came into a room I was in, I could feel my cheeks flush with heat and my palms would get sweaty. His occasional touches made my heart race and my breathing turn shallow. I anxiously awaited the next time he would put his arm around my shoulders.

I couldn't help but wonder if Kanda had similar feelings about me. With Kanda it was always so hard to tell, because of his stoic and withdrawn personality. There were some times when I thought maybe he had feelings for me, but he never acted on them, and I was always left unsure.

I tried to push thoughts of Kanda from my mind as I prepared for myself a steaming cup of green tea. I was busy drinking when the doorknob on our hotel room door started jiggling. I was up in a moment, my bow ready in my hand, aimed at the door.

The door opened.

"Put that away, baka."

"I thought you were an akuma."

"I could be. Maybe I'm like that Level Two that I fought in Mater that could make a mirror image," Kanda said as he took off his exorcist jacket. His arm was still in the sling, but it appeared not to cause him any pain.

"I brought breakfast," he said, tossing me a paper bag. I looked inside and found several pastries and traditional Spanish breakfast items. I reached into the bag and grabbed some food.

"Are you eating?" I asked, mouth full.

"I already did. It took forever, but I managed to discover some soba."

"You need to expand your food horizons."

"Che. All I need is soba."

"That's not particularly healthy for you."

"Do I look unhealthy to you?" Kanda scoffed. I laughed in reply and put the bag down on the table.

"Where's Mari?"

"I don't know. We split up during our search."

"Oh."  
"He's fine, Val. Don't worry."

I nodded. Kanda went into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of tea. I watched him as he did. Every movement he made was incredibly graceful, and I wondered how it was possible. He moved with an incredible fluidity, so that it was as if he never stopped moving. This was probably why he was so deadly on the battlefield. He never missed a thing.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked, as if to emphasize that point.

"I'm not staring."

"Yes you are," he said. I wondered how he knew, even though his back was turned. He turned around and walked over to the couch, sitting down on the side farthest away from me. I couldn't tell if he did it intentionally.

"I realize that my beauty is astounding, but there's really no reason to gawk at me."

I choked on my tea and was sent into a horrible fit of coughing. I could feel that my face was red, and I knew that it wasn't just from choking on my tea. Kanda was smirking on the other side of the couch.

"Th-th-that's not…I'm not…," I stammered, trying to form words but having no such luck. Kanda laughed through his nose.

"Relax, Val. I'm joking."

"Oh. I know," I said, even though what he had said about himself was true. I could feel my heartbeat gradually slowing to a normal pace.

"You are so gullible."

"I am not!" I cried indignantly.

"Sure you aren't. Tell yourself that Val." He continued to smirk at me.

"I will tell myself that, thank you very much." I made an attempt at sounding indifferent, and hoped that it worked. Unfortunately, I knew Kanda could see through any act that I tried. He didn't call me out on it this time, though. He chose instead to bring his tea cup to his lips and take a sip of tea.

I leaned back in my seat, resting my head on the back of the couch. I suddenly felt very tired. My arms felt heavy and it was proving difficult to keep my eyelids open. I let them fall shut.

"Taking a nap?"

"I'm just closing my eyes."

"Maybe I'll close my eyes too," Kanda said in a soft voice.

"I see."

"But your eyes are closed."

I opened my eyes with the pretense of hitting him on the shoulder. This thought was driven away, though, when I saw how close he was. His face was inches in front of mine.

"Not anymore," I whispered.

"You look like you haven't been sleeping well," he said. He leaned back, slouching in his seat.

"I've been fine."

"I've seen you tossing and turning in your bed at night. You mumble in your sleep."

I felt myself blushing. "It's nothing," I said.

"I don't believe you. Are you having nightmares again?"

I didn't say anything, just looked down at my cup of tea. I fiddled with the handle.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"I didn't want to worry you."

I had been having the nightmare again ever since Daisya's funeral. It happened every night, where I would wake up gasping for breath. I was lucky that Kanda hadn't woken up at all these past few days that we were on the mission. I didn't want to risk him getting to worried too focus on the mission.

"You worry me more when I see you like this. It doesn't look like you've been eating much either."

"The dream's gotten worse."

Kanda's lipped pressed into a tight line. "Worse how?" he asked. I could see his body stiffening, and I knew he was getting worried and anxious.

"It goes farther. I think maybe I'm remembering more of that night."

"_Valeriya! Come here," she called. I stopped playing with my dolls and ran over to my mom. She wrapped her arms around me and lifted my small body up. I curled my arms around her neck and she ran with me. _

"_Alena! It's that man! He's here. Hide Val!" my father called to mom. She was crying, tears dripping from her face and into my hair. I started to cry too._

"_Mommy! What's going on?" I asked. _

"_Shh, Val. I need you to be quiet. Stay in here and don't come out until he's gone," she said, opening the closet in the living room. She set me down and closed it behind her. I sat down amid the shoes and coats. Through a hole in the wood I watched. _

_Mom stood clutching Dad's arm. He was holding her awkwardly. Then he came in. He was a dark shadow, a form that I could not make out. He raised a hand and spoke in a hoarse whisper._

"_Are you aware of an organization known as The Black Order?" he asked._

"_Please, sir, we don't know what that is. What do you want from us?"_

"_The Black Order is an organization that specializes in the...ah...disposal of demons. They work to fight against the Millennium earl and the Clan of Noah."_

"_We don't know anything about this Black Order. Please, we just want to continue living our normal life. I know we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Who are you?"_

"_I am Tyki Mikk, the Noah of Pleasure. I am a disciple of the Millennium Earl."_

_My parents were holding each other, my mothers eyes dripping with tears. Tyki Mikk sat down in an armchair, leaning back and delicately crossing his legs._

"_I'm not in any hurry, and I'm rather enjoying this little chat, so I might as well tell you who the Earl is. Any objections?"_

_My parents said nothing. A smirk graced Mikk's face._

"_The Millennium Earl. To some, he may appear to be like God. He can bring your loved ones back from the dead, but not without a price. They become only shells of the person, without any real skin or feeling. However, the Millennium Earl can't have skeletons walking around the town, now can he?"_

"_I don't understand," said my mom._

_Mikk smiled hugely, obviously entertained. "The Millennium Earl tricks people mourning for their loved ones into resurrecting them. These resurrected people then become Akuma that the Earl can control. The Millennium Earl plans to lead the world to its death."_

"_How about I make you a deal? Would that be of interest to you? I can tell that you seem fairly intelligent, so I'm hoping you'll make the right decision. What do you say?"_

"_What kind of deal?"_

"_Join the Earl. Become a supporter of his cause." Tyki Mikk reclined in his chair, smiling largely. His teeth were white as pearls._

"_No. This man sounds like a terrible person. We want nothing to do with you or this 'Millennium Earl'. Get out! Get out of my house!" my father yelled. Mikk's smile vanished, replaced by a hard look. I thought that maybe my parents had won. I was devastatingly wrong._

"_It would be my pleasure to leave. I know the way out." My father visibly relaxed at his statement. I was sure he had expected some kind of fight on Mikk's part._

_Mikk stood up, smoothing his suit. "But I won't be leaving just yet. You two have seen far too much. And now that you choose not to join with the Earl, I'm afraid that you know too much. I'm so sorry that it has to be this way." His words were insincere and he smiled a smile that reached his ears. I started crying softly. Then he moved so quickly I couldn't see how it happened, but suddenly my parents crumpled to the ground, dead. A single cry escaped my throat. The man turned and smiled hugely again. His golden eyes were on the closet and he started walking forward._

_The closet door opened and I could see the man. He was tall and had dark skin, with crosses on his forehead. _

"_Well what's this?" he said. I cringed and pushed myself backward. He opened his hand, and I saw a butterfly materialize there._

"_Please," I begged, wishing nothing more than to curl up next to my parent's lifeless bodies. "Please."_

"_Such a cute little girl. I'll spare you, for now. And who knows, I might come back sometime to see if you are smarter than your parents. Mine was an offer most beneficial. Until next time, little girl,"__ he said. Then he was gone, disappearing through the wall._

Kanda was silent after I finished my story. I was shaking, upset over the intensity of my dream. Kanda seemed not to have any reaction to what I had told him. He was just sitting there, silent. I waited with bated breath for him to say something, anything.

He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but he just as quickly closed it again.

"Kanda? Say something. Please."

He looked at me, his eyes intense. "I love you."

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait. I hope I can post again soon, except I don't really know where I'm going with this story from here. Writer's block. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review!**


	21. Deception

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

"I love you." It sort of just popped out of my mouth. I wasn't even planning on saying anything of the sort. I planned on saying something like "that bastard" or "I'm going to kill the bastard." Really, any variation of "that bastard" was in the cards. But somehow, I didn't say that.

She had finished her story, and she looked so scared and forlorn, so lost and sad, that suddenly, it was all I could think to say. Her innocence was enchanting. No matter what, I felt an inane need to protect her, rather than myself. Humans are selfish creatures, and it seemed foolish to me that I would want to protect her over saving my own skin. It was like that from the first day that I met her.

I remembered seeing her, legs pulled into her chest, her head resting on her knees, wearing my clothing. Tears had been pouring down her cheeks. I had acted like I was disgusted with her. I tried to hate her.

Truth was, I recognized that she was broken, and I found myself wanting to put the pieces back together. I tried to hate her for making me feel like that. I hated myself more.

There had once been one other person who I wanted to protect. That person annoyed me to no end, yet I still chose to let that person be my friend. In the end, I was forced to destroy that person. I lost someone whom I had loved and I vowed never again to let that happen.

Val was the kind of person that you wanted to protect. You didn't want her to feel any pain or sorrow. The first day I saw her, I recognized that in her, and I felt myself want to keep her safe. Every fiber of my being protested against these feelings, so I tried to hate her. I didn't want to get hurt again by being unable to safe yet another human being.

Somehow, though, she broke through my defenses. We became friends, and all those feelings of needing to protect her grew stronger and stronger. They've enveloped me. Protecting her, keeping her safe, became my main priority. Now, I know that those feelings continued to grow and grow into something more. Love.

I never meant to fall in love.

VAL P.O.V.

"I love you." The words that came out of his mouth were a shock. I had not been expecting that kind of response to my story. I didn't know what to say. My body was in shock. I couldn't move, my lips couldn't form coherent sentences. I sat there, dumbfounded and unsure of what to say.

KANDA P.O.V.

She wasn't talking. I started to panic. I shouldn't have said anything, shouldn't have told her how I really felt. I thought for sure that she felt the same way. I couldn't think of what to do. Do I stay there? Do I ask if she loves me too? Or do I just pass it off as some sick joke?

I did the next best thing. I ran. I stood up and walked out the door. I practically ran to the elevator, where I cut off an elderly couple trying to get in. I closed the doors on them. The woman seemed appalled. So was I.

The doors opened, and I began to walk to the revolving door that led the way to my escape. I couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened, about how I was a fool for letting my feelings finally show, and at the wrong moment nonetheless.

I thought I could hear her calling my name. I shook my head, trying to ignore the sound of her voice pounding through my mind. I was halfway across the lobby.

"Kanda."

It was all in my head.

"Kanda!"

Why couldn't she leave me alone? I already recognized my foolishness.

"_Kanda!"_

"WHAT!" I yelled, circling around. "Oh."

She was standing there, on the other side of the lobby. _So it wasn't in my mind_, I thought. She_ was_ calling after me.

We stood there, staring at each other for what felt like eternity. Then, finally, "I love you too."

I was across the room in no time at all, holding her in my arms. I promised myself I would never let go.

VAL P.O.V.

I sat in the hotel room for maybe a minute before what he had said really sank in. It was a dream come true. Cliché, I know. But at that moment I couldn't think of any other way to describe it. I had loved him for so long and he never seemed to reciprocate those feelings. I imagined that he just didn't see me the way that I saw him. To find out that I was wrong, that he _did_ feel that way, was an incredible feeling. By the time he was out the door, I knew I had to gather the courage to tell him that I loved him too. I couldn't lose my chance, because otherwise it would be too late and the chance would never again come.

I ran from the hotel room, sprinted to the elevator, only to see that it was on the wrong floor. I couldn't wait, so I took the stairs. I practically slid down the banisters, anything to get me to him faster. I pushed open the door of the stairwell and ran to the lobby. He was already halfway across, his shoulders slumped.

"Kanda," I said.

He didn't hear me.

"Kanda!" I called a little louder.

He shook his head.

"_Kanda!_" I yelled.

"WHAT!" he yelled, spinning on his heel. "Oh," he said when he saw me.

The moment had come. I licked my dry lips, hoping that I would be able to voice my feelings aloud. I took a deep breath.

"I love you too."

And then I was in his arms. He had never held me like this. His arms were wrapped around me, and he was holding me tightly to him. My arms were tight to my side, trapped by his. My head was against his chest, and he bent his head to lean his forehead against the crown of my head. I wanted to stay like that forever.

There was nothing except me and him, holding each other.

* * *

He was watching them. He saw the Asian man run across the lobby to hold the girl in his arms. It was terribly cute how they were holding each other: so tightly it seemed as if they would blend into one body. He grinned.

A hand rested itself lightly on his shoulder. Lord Tyki Mikk turned his head to the side to look at the woman who had touched him. She was a young woman, in her early twenties, with long blond hair tied back in a purple ribbon. She was wearing a black suit with a blue tie, high heeled boots, and dark sunglasses.

"How touching," she said, sarcasm lacing through her voice. Mikk chuckled.

"Now Lulu Bell," he began, "let them have their fun. They're young, in love."

"Love is a ridiculous concept," Lulu Bell said.

"To you, maybe. To them, it is not. They've loved each other for a long time. I think that Kanda Yu just recently realized what his feelings toward Valeriya are. Through my observations, however, I could always see that he loved her. It just took him a while to realize that his desire for her was that."

"Desire and love are two different things, Tyki," Lulu said.

"I suppose it would be unwise of me to argue with you about that, as you are the Noah of Lust. Of course you would know better than I."

Lulu Bell said nothing, simply watched as the young couple left the hotel, oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.

"That they have declared their love for each other only makes my job easier. It won't be difficult to destroy them while they are distracted with each other."

"The Russian girl, I've noticed that she is very protective of Kanda. She values his safety more than her own. She is the weak link."

Lulu Bell nodded. She smiled softly.

"I already have a plan," she said. Tyki Mikk grinned hugely.

* * *

Val and I were walking through the city. I kept sneaking glances at her. She kept smiling, and it seemed that every time I glanced at her, she would glance at me.

"So what are we doing?" she asked.

"We are looking for Mari. We have to make a plan of action. We're no closer to finding the general than we were before."

Val nodded, her eyes setting into battle mode. It was unbearably endearing. I wanted to reach out and push her hair out of her eyes, hold her face in my hands. I kept walking.

"He should hear us coming," I said. "I'm sure he's not far."

"Kanda."

"What?"

"What are we doing?"

"What do you mean? I told you what we're doing."

"No. I mean, what are _we_ doing? We're at war, and yet, all of this," she said, gesturing wildly.

"All of this?" I asked, confused.

"This. Us. You and me. What are we doing?"

I stopped walking. I grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face me. "Val. We're doing what we should have done a long time ago. This should have happened years ago, when I first met you. I've loved you since the day you carried me to the hospital, after I was injured by that akuma, when we were only eleven years old. I loved you when we became friends, even though I always yelled and got irritated with you. When we were on that mission with Lavi, I was jealous that he was the one to carry you back to the village after you fell through that ice. And at that ball, I thought you looked absolutely stunning. You're beautiful and so kind to everyone, even if they don't deserve your kindness. I love you."

I stood there, holding her shoulders, forcing her to face me. She was crying.

"Oh Kanda, I love you so much," she said. And then I kissed her.

* * *

After finding Mari, we grabbed some food from the local market, making sure to find soba for Kanda, and returned to the hotel, where the three of us sat down to discuss what the next step was. I was still recovering from the kiss.

"If only the General had his own Timcampy, then we would be able to find Tiedoll. Too bad we aren't looking for Marian," I said.

"General Cross Marian won't be found unless it is in his own interest to be found. He is the only general who is hiding. Tiedoll isn't purposely hiding from us," Mari said.

"I don't care if we find the General at all," Kanda said. I shook my head at his remark.

"Finding the General is important to the Order, Kanda," Mari said. "We can't fail. The Noah are on the move again. Their involvement can only mean that the Earl is planning something. We must stop him."

"I know."

We continued our planning, each of us throwing out ideas, each idea more ridiculous that the last.

"Why don't we torture Kanda until the General comes and saves him? Tiedoll has a special bond with his Yuu-kun," I joked. Kanda pushed me off the couch.

I was about to act like I was horribly offended by his behavior when we heard screams coming from outside in the streets. Kanda stood up, grabbing Mugen off of the table.

"What the hell?" he said, moving quickly to the window. "Shit."

Without even hesitating, Kanda pushed open the window and jumped out. I screamed. We were three stories up and he just jumped out a window. Mari turned is head to me, as if he could see the panic on my face.

"Let's move. Grab your Innocence." For the second time that morning, I ran from the hotel room to find Kanda.

I burst through the lobby, registering frightened faces. An explosion erupted from outside. I pushed through the crowd of people, some of them guests of the hotel, others just random passerby from the streets. This was bad. I made it outside to the street.

It was chaos. People were laying on the streets, some injured, some dead. Huge craters dented the street. Akuma were everywhere. I knew I should burst into action, but my heart wouldn't let me. I needed to find Kanda, make sure that he was alright.

Mari was already fighting the demons. "Val!" he yelled.

I just barely managed to get my dagger before a Level Two launched itself at me. I cut it's leg, causing it to cry out in pain, and quickly set my bow and shot an arrow into it's heart. It exploded in a mess of metal and blood, covering me in the sticky substance.

I had no choice but to continue fighting akuma. There were too many, and no time to find Kanda. I was panicked. I found myself praying to God, for the first time in my life, to keep Kanda safe.

Arrow after arrow, slice after slice, I fought. Mari was gone, having followed an akuma swarm somewhere else in the city. There were so many.

A giant hand came toward me, and pinned me to the stone wall of a building. My head struck the stone, and I could feel blood start to trickle down my neck. The Level Two in front of me smiled.

"Hello, Exorcist," it said. I spat blood out of my mouth.

"You've put up a great fight. I've been watching you."

"Let go of me," I said. I knew it was no use. There were too many akuma. We wouldn't win, and I was already done for. I searched frantically for Kanda, craning my neck every way possible.

"What are you looking for, Exorcist?" the akuma asked. It cocked it's head to the side, giving me a view of what was going on behind him. Demons were everywhere, shooting bullets, making huge craters in the ground, and killing people who couldn't get to safety fast enough.

"I asked you a question!" the akuma screamed, it's face contorting into grotesque anger. It punched me in the stomach, and I curled over as far as I could, gasping for breath.

"She's looking for me," said a familiar voice from above. I didn't have time to look up before he jumped down from the terrace, slicing the akuma in two. Blood spattered both of us, and at this point I couldn't tell what blood was mine, and what blood was from the akuma. My knees gave out beneath me.

"Val!" Kanda crouched down beside me. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine. I hit my head pretty hard on the stone when the akuma attacked me."

"Are you okay to fight?"

"I'm not giving up. I can't give up yet. Not until all the akuma are gone, until all the Noah are killed, and not until the Millennium Earl finally loses this battle." I pushed myself up and picked up my bow. Kanda grinned.

"Let's do this." We entered the fight again.

It had been a few hours when, suddenly, the akuma seemed to retreat. I watched in awe as they stopped firing and turned around, soaring in the other direction. I looked at Kanda, who was just as confused as I was.

"Don't let them get away!" he cried. He burst into action, running through the streets, jumping over obstacles in the road. I made to follow him when yet another explosion knocked me off of my feet. I saw Kanda turn around and run back to me, abandoning the fight.

"Val, are you-" he started, before another explosion sent him flying into the side of a building. I heard him cry out in pain.

I started to get up, when I saw something in the corner of my eye. A familiar form was making its way toward us. Mari was running toward us.

"Val! Kanda!" he yelled.

"Mari!" I cried, thankful to see him. "What was that explosion? Why did all the akuma retreat?"

He reached me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I don't know, Val. It's curious. The Earl could easily have won this battle, and yet he called for the demons to return to him. Where's Kanda?"

"Oh!" I turned around, looking for the exorcist in question. "He went to follow the akuma, but an explosion stopped him. He went flying into a wall. I think he might be hurt."

I quickly walked down the road to where I last saw Kanda. The rubble was everywhere, and dust was thick in the air. I searched the sidewalks, but yet again, I couldn't find Kanda.

"Kanda!" I called. "Kanda!"

"I'm right here."

I turned around. There he was, standing behind me. His face was bruised and bloodied.

"Oh. Hi."

He shook his head and smirked. "Hi." Then he turned to Mari.

"I tried to follow the swarm, but obviously," he said, gesturing around, "that didn't work out. It so strange that they suddenly left."

I only half-listened as Kanda and Mari continued their conversation. Bits of the buildings around us still continued to fall, causing dust to swirl up into the air. It was only for a second, but as the dust swirled up, I thought I saw a figure turn into an alleyway. Curious, I made my way over to the alley. I couldn't see anything, but the alley twisted around a corner, so I continued walking down it.

I turned the corner, and a small gasp escaped me. I heard the sounds of people running over the rubble in the main street, and I knew it was Kanda and Mari, Mari probably having heard my intake of breath. I was shocked at what I saw.

Kanda and Mari soon approached and as they did, I heard Kanda breathe in sharply. "Dammit."

The alleyway opened up into a huge plaza, which was deserted of all people, save one. Standing in the center of the plaza was a man in a black and yellow coat, the Black Order insignia on the breast pocket of the jacket. He was surrounded by Level Two and Three akuma. All of us recognized who he was.

General Froi Tiedoll.

* * *

**Please review. I love getting your feedback. This chapter kind of sucks, and for that, I am sorry.**


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

I was still surprised at how easily we had found the general. It seemed to me to be a little skewed. I wasn't totally happy with the fact that he had been completely out in the open. Tiedoll normally would have made it more difficult for us to find him, albeit unknowingly. Another thing that confused me was that he had allowed himself to be surrounded by akuma. The whole situation presented itself unsurely in my mind.

We were now back at the hotel, having quickly disposed of the akuma ambush. Tiedoll was sitting in a straight backed chair, which contrasted with his usual informal posture, and sipping tea. I was sitting on the couch, next to Mari while Kanda took his turn to clean up in the bathroom.

"So General," Mari began, "is there any word as to where we are to go from here?"

Tiedoll had a puzzled look on his face. "Do they not want me back at headquarters? Isn't that why you were sent to find me?"

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief and confusion.

"Well of course they want you back at headquarters, but they told us you would have another mission for us to complete before we return."

"Oh. Yes. Of course. I seem to have forgotten. Excuse me," he said, standing up and leaving the room. I gazed after him in confusion. Mari seemed equally as confused.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked. "He's acting strange. Stranger than normal, that is."

"I'm not sure," said Mari. "It's peculiar."

"Hmm."

I wasn't sure what to say, but luckily, Kanda came out of the bathroom with his hair dripping wet. His face was covered in tiny little cuts, but they were already healing. He threw his towel across the back of the chair Tiedoll had been sitting in and leaned against the wall.

"Where's the General?" he asked.

"He stepped out for a moment."

"He's been acting weird. I overheard your conversation with him."

"It is odd, isn't it?" I said in agreement. I was unsure of what to make of this new Tiedoll. He was not at all like the Tiedoll who I had last seen at Headquarters. That Tiedoll had been wild and overprotective of us all. This one was somehow refined and closed off.

Kanda said nothing, merely walking over to look out the window. He pushed the curtains aside and peered out into the streets. I got up from my spot on the couch and walked over to stand next to him. He reached out briefly to touch my arm, then dropped his hand to his side. I looked out the window and saw that Tiedoll was across the street, looking up and down the street. He quickly ducked into an alley.

I looked at Kanda. He had a look of suspicion on his face. He turned to me and nodded toward the window. "Let's go," he said. I nodded. We quickly grabbed our Innocence and left the hotel room.

Kanda and I walked down the alleyway that Tiedoll had disappeared into. It was strange how he was acting. We continued down the alleyway, which twisted and turned, not daring to speak to each other, both of us afraid of what was to come. I glanced at Kanda often, but he was too focused to notice.

Finally the alley opened into a huge courtyard, which was filled with greenery and flowers. The scent of Spanish bluebells assaulted my nose, and I took a deep breath of the fragrant flower. Kanda looked about ready to throw up because of the overpowering scent. I had to fight the laughter crawling it's way up my throat, as I knew that any sound could alert our presence.

We walked slowly through the maze of flowers, being careful not to make any noise. I kept holding my breath, so intent was I to keep quiet. Kanda was a pace ahead of me, leading the way with Mugen ready in his hand. I kept one arm over my shoulder, my hand on the shaft of an arrow.

The sound of running water was helpful in muffling any sounds that we may have made. I assumed that there was a fountain somewhere in the center of this courtyard. At any other time I would have stopped to admire the beauty of the foliage and architecture around me, but under the given circumstances that was impossible.

We were just about to turn the corner when the sound of voices caused us both to stop short. There was a woman's voice, one that I was unfamiliar with. And, with it, was a silky, smooth voice that I recognized all too well. The voice of the man who had been haunting my dreams since I was young. Lord Tyki Mikk.

"...back already. It's only been a few hours."

"I know Tyki, but I couldn't stand to stay for any longer. It's incredibly dull. I'm not having any fun."

"Lulu Bell, you're not going to have fun until you find the perfect opportunity to complete your mission. I'm sure you remember what the Earl told you."

"'Be patient.' Don't worry. I know how to wait. I haven't been assigned something like this in quite a while, so I'm just forgetting how dull all of the waiting can be."

"It will all be worth it in the end, Lulu, when we win this war and when the Millennium Earl finally can have power over all human beings. He's making more akuma everyday. There is no way that the Black Order can win. They don't see that they are just casually stumbling into their destruction."

"Of course Tyki."

" We need to find the General before they do. And don't forget what I told you about the exorcist. She is the weak link."

I stifled a gasp. Surely 'she' meant me. I didn't think it could possibly mean Lenalee or Miranda, as they were safely at the Order. And, the Noah were here in Spain with us. Who else could they mean?

Kanda must have been thinking the same thing as I was, as he turned to look at me in surprise. The surprise in his eyes quickly turned to a protective edge, and that too was soon replaced by anger. I could feel myself shaking in nervousness and uncertainty.

"Indeed. You needn't worry, Tyki. I never fail at any task."

"I know it. Well, good luck either way. I'll be around. If you need me, you know where I am," Tyki said. The sound of his footsteps made Kanda and I realize that we could soon be discovered, and we quickly turned around. Once we were safely out of the courtyard, we sprinted back up the alleyway and into the crowded streets.

I turned to Kanda. "This doesn't look good," I said.

"No. It doesn't," he said grimly. We hurried back to the hotel.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were surprised to find the General was already there, somehow. Something was wrong with his disappearing down that alleyway and somehow avoiding crossing paths with the Noah. It made me nervous also that the Noah were looking for the General.

Kanda and I decided that we needed to tell Mari and Tiedoll what had happened, though we wouldn't say that we were following the General. We all sat down and I relayed what happened.

"What does that mean, 'she's the weak link'? Is that referring to you, Val?" Mari asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Who else could it be?" I said.

"You're not weak," Kanda said. "You aren't the weak link."

A small smile played at the corners of my mouth. I reached over and slipped my hand into his.

"Thanks. But I think that they think I'm the weak link in our group. Who else could they be talking about if we are the only ones here in Spain at the same time the Noah are?"

"Well, we'll just have to keep you extra safe then," Tiedoll quipped. He was sitting erect in a chair, his hands folded in his lap. He smiled. "You are very valuable to us."

I nodded, but I didn't feel the least bit reassured about the situation. Kanda was watching Tiedoll through narrowed eyes. I sighed and leaned my head against the back of the couch.

KANDA P.O.V.

I didn't know what was going on, but all I knew was that I didn't trust Tiedoll. He was acting far to formal, and he had yet to call me by that horrid name, Yuu-kun. I was uneasy. The entire time that we were talking, I kept one hand casually placed on Mugen, ready to attack if need be. I didn't trust him one bit. He was not the general I knew.

Val had decided to take a nap, after complaining of having a headache. Mari had also decided to leave, stating that he was going to go and scope the city. I volunteered to go with him, but Tiedoll had insisted that I stay behind. Mari had left without complaint.

Tiedoll was sitting in the same chair, in the same stiff way. I had moved to stand by the window, peering out every so often, but not for so long as to allow Tiedoll out of my view for more than two seconds.

Tiedoll was smiling, though at what I couldn't say. He had a smirk on his face, which had been there ever since Val had left to rest. I hated the sight of it. It made my skin tingle, and not in a good way. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Kanda?"

"Che. What?"

"What are you doing? Come sit."

I turned then, to fully face him, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. "No."

"I insist."

"I don't care."

"Really. Sit. Now."

"What the hell? No. What in the hell is wrong with you? You're being more of an annoying ass than usual."

"Is that really any way to talk to your superior, Kanda? Honestly, I thought you'd been taught better."

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. What the hell was he talking about? I mouthed off to him and called him horrible things all the time, and he never even acknowledged that I had said those things. He would continue to treat me like I was a child. What was going on?

I studied Tiedoll for a moment. Then, I realized something. I withdrew Mugen.

"Mugen, activate!" I pointed my katana right at Tiedoll's throat.

"Kanda! What is the meaning of this?" he cried. He acted shocked, but I saw the fear behind his eyes. It was proof enough for me, and I knew that Innocence would not hurt another accomodator.

"Who the hell are you?" I snarled.

"I'm the General! Put that weapon down!"

I didn't put my katana down, but I lowered it. I continued to study "Tiedoll's" worried face. As I studied, I pieced more and more of the story together. I was about to act, when Val came out from the bedroom.

"Kanda!"

I took my eyes off him for one second and glanced at her. Then, I felt myself get stabbed in the stomach.

VAL'S P.O.V.

I was woken from my nap by the sound of Tiedoll yelling. I got up quickly, grabbing my Innocence, and ran from the room. In the living area I saw Kanda holding Tiedoll at sword point. I was shocked that he would threaten the General.

"Kanda!" I cried in admonishment. What happened next could not have been more of a surprise.

Tiedoll's hand turned into a gray appendage with a sharp point on the end. He took advantage of Kanda's momentary distraction and stabbed him in the stomach. I cried out, and Kanda looked down at the wound. It was bleeding profusely. He fell to the ground.

"Kanda!" I cried again, this time with worry and fear. Tiedoll turned and smiled at me.

"Stupid exorcist," he said in a voice that was no longer his own. "You've led right to his death."

Then, the veneer faded, and Tiedoll disappeared. In his place was a woman. She withdrew her arm from Kanda, and it turned back into a hand.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am Lulu Bell, the Noah of Lust." She smiled without emotion and I watched in horror as her alabaster complexion changed to gray and stigmata appeared on her forehead.

* * *

**Sorry it's taken me so long to post. And I'm also sorry that this chapter is horrible. I'm having a little trouble with this part of my story. Anyways, as always reviews are much appreciated. :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

I was in shock. Kanda was lying on the ground, and blood was seeping from the wound on his stomach. His breaths were ragged. My only consolation was that I knew, somehow, he would heal. This fact of his being still perturbed me, and I still was worried about him, even though his recovery was inevitable. But the wound was horrible. I felt my heart tearing in two, and I wanted to cry. I would have run to his side, but Lulu Bell had now stepped in front of him, and was blocking my way.

She looked at me curiously and smiled a little. Her eyes were blank and it was a smile that conveyed no emotion. "I am slightly confused by your love towards this boy," she said. I wanted to look at Kanda, but I didn't dare take my eyes off of the Noah before me. My past experiences with the Noah taught me that they didn't play fair, and I would be a fool to expect otherwise.

"Are you?" I said angrily. I clenched my fists.

She nodded. "Tyki said that he was very cold, almost cruel to people. How could anyone love someone who could be so heartless?"

"You don't know the first thing about Kanda, and you don't know the first thing about love."

She laughed a little at this. "And I suppose, darling, that you think you know about love?"

"Yes. Are you not the Noah of Lust? Lust and love are not interchangeable concepts. How then, could you have even the vaguest understanding of what it is to love someone, not only with you're whole heart, but with your soul and every fiber of your being? I've loved more than you ever could."

This statement seemed to make Lulu Bell angry. Her face paled and her eyes narrowed to slits. Her mouth twisted into a cross between a smirk and a scowl, and it distorted the planes of her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. I had stunned her into silence. Finally, she regained her composure.

"Well, that may or may not be so, but I am the one with the upper hand here. You won't be able to do a thing while I kill your little friend here."

"You will not!" I cried, anger bursting from every inch of me. I barely hesitated, and when she shot a long limb toward me, her hand once again like a spearhead, I was ready. I turned slightly to the side, letting the arm brush by me and with my dagger already in my hand, sliced downward, leaving a deep gash in her arm. She cried out in pain, and the other arm shot forward. I was not as quick this time, and the point cut through my uniform and across the top layer of my skin. The cut stung, but I could barely feel it.

I reached behind me, as she launched another attack, and had my bow and arrow ready in a second. The arrow flew forward, missing her by only a fraction of an inch. She seemed stunned.

"Tyki said you were the weak one!" she cried. I dodged her attack again and sliced wildly with my dagger, succeeding only in tearing her clothing.

"He doesn't know me," I said. "I would do anything for Kanda; I will fight to the death to protect him. I will fight to keep the Innocence safe and keep you and the Earl from ever sending this world to its demise."

That's when it happened. I was not ready for the attack, and it seemed that Lulu Bell had the advantage. Her arm was going to pierce me, right over my heart. And then somehow, it didn't. I heard her scream in pain. Kanda was standing, slumped against the wall, Mugen in his hand and dripping blood. On the ground was a gray spearhead, which was slowly shifting back into a delicate hand. Lulu Bell was on the ground, cradling her arm, which was missing a hand.

My eyes widened, but I didn't have much time to contemplate what was happening, because Kanda called out to me.

"Val! Your Innocence!" he said, pointing toward where my bow was laying on the ground. I turned my head to look at it, and saw that it was emitting a golden light.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said, clutching his stomach, where the wound was still bleeding.

We watched in awe, as the simple shape of my bow started to bend. It stretched longer, the wood curling into spirals at the top, a white light tracing shapes onto the wood. It glowed brightly for a moment, before the light went out. Suddenly, I knew what was happening.

"It's evolved," I said. I picked up the bow, looking at the black design of cherry blossoms and vines crawling up the bow. I grabbed an arrow, and saw that the feathers had turned red, and the same cherry blossoms and vines were crawling up the shaft. The arrow head had become smaller, and more refined. It looked to be made of a black rock, and the points were sharp, lethal.

"The Innocence can evolve?" I heard Lulu say. I readied my bow and aimed it at her. She looked scared for the first time.

"You and the rest of the Noah are destroying my friends. You are destroying this world. I should kill you now, and save someone else the trouble later."

I thought that she would tremble in fear. But she just smiled widely. "You won't kill me," she said. "I'm human too. How would your conscience take it, knowing that you had killed another human being, had set their soul to be in eternal torment?"

My hand shook. The arrow lowered. Lulu Bell grinned triumphantly.

"Val!" Kanda yelled. "Don't listen to her!"

But it was too late. She shifted her arm into a spear, and I felt the limb pierce my chest. I looked down in shock as blood spurted from the wound. I crashed to the ground and the world went black.

* * *

It was dark. I couldn't see anything. My chest was on fire, and my mouth was dry. I desperately wanted to drink something, anything. My stomach was in knots. I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids were too heavy, and they wouldn't budge. I heard the sound of a machine beeping, then the sound of a chair scraping against the ground.

"Nurse!" cried a frantic voice I recognized. "Nurse! She's awake!"

There were the sounds of people running around, and then I felt something being shoved into my mouth. Vile liquid coursed towards my throat, and I almost threw up.

"Swallow!" commanded a voice. I swallowed. Immediately, the fire in my chest cooled, and my eyes were less heavy. I opened my eyes slowly, letting them adjust slowly to the light.

I was in the Infirmary of the Black Order. Nurse was standing over me, holding a glass of clear liquid that looked like water.

"Are you thirsty?" she asked. I opened my mouth to answer, by my throat was so dry that words were impossible. I nodded my head vigorously until I noticed that doing so caused a throbbing pain. She handed me the glass and I drank it all in two large gulps.

"More," I managed to croak. She nodded and went to fill the glass. I closed my eyes. When she returned, I drank more slowly, feeling a little nauseous from drinking so quickly the first time.

"Where's Kanda?" I asked.

"Right here," came his voice. I turned, and there he was, sitting by my side. He was wearing black pants and a robe, his torso bare except for the bandages around his stomach.

"How are you? What happened?"

"I'm alright. Nurse won't let me take off the bandages yet, even though I've told her that I'm fine."

"Why are we at the Order? We never found the General!"

"Relax," he said, pushing me lightly back down so that I was no longer sitting up. "We found him. Mari managed to find him. He was in Barcelona, like we thought. He had heard that the Noah were there, and was tracking them. He found Tyki Mikk, and was fighting with him when Mari was able to hear him through his headphones. Mikk retreated, and Mari and Tiedoll came back to the hotel."

I nodded. "What about Lulu Bell?"

"She's dead."

"She is? I didn't…"

"No. It wasn't you," he said, understanding what I was getting at. "I did."

"Oh, Kanda," I said.

"She had hurt you, and I was so overcome with rage. And so I took up where you left off and I just…" He trailed off, not finishing his sentence.

"Tiedoll and Mari showed up, after it happened. Mari had to literally hold me back. I blamed Tiedoll for what happened to you. I was cursing at him and tried to go at him with Mugen. He didn't even get angry or fight back."

I reached out and held his hand. I hadn't heard him talk so much in a while, and not like this. It was like he was pouring out his soul to me.

"And then," he continued, seemingly unable to stop, "we took you to a hospital and the people bandaged you up, but they couldn't really do much. So Tiedoll decided that we needed to return to the Order. The whole way here, you were sleeping. At times it was like…it was like…" and here he broke off. He turned his face away from me, and I wondered if he wasn't crying, but when he turned around, his eyes were clear.

"It was like you were dead. Your breathing was really shallow, and sometimes it seemed like you weren't breathing at all."

"But what about your wound?" I asked.

"It had sealed a little bit, but when I was fighting Lulu Bell, it reopened. And Mari didn't realize I was wounded until he was holding me back, and felt it on my stomach. But it's almost completely healed now."

"Okay," I said, feeling a little overwhelmed and tired.

"Do you need to sleep? Nurse can bring you something to help you sleep better," Kanda said. I could tell that he was trying to keep his stony composure, but I was able to see through the mask. He was worried about me, and that knowledge made me happy.

I was about to reach out and hold his hand, when the doors to the Infirmary burst open. A huge commotion ensued, as Lavi rushed over to my bed, knocking aside tables and trays on his was to get over. He rushed into Kanda, sending him falling to the ground.

"Val! You're awake!" he cried.

"I am," I said.

"You don't know how dull it's been, having only Yu-Kun to talk to. He's not much for conversation, that one," he said, gesturing toward Kanda, who was glaring indignantly at Lavi. I grinned.

"It's good to see you, Lavi."

"It's good to see _you_," he replied, squeezing my hand. "I'm so glad you're awake."

I smiled at my friend. He grinned back, while Kanda stood off to the side, looking murderous. Lavi leaned forward, and hugged me gently, careful of my wound. Regardless of my injury, I felt incredibly happy at that moment, with the people I loved by my side.

* * *

**This is a terrible chapter. I'm sorry. I honestly have no idea where I am going from this point, so leave a review with a suggestion if you'd like. Also, I'm sorry it took so long to post, I was busy with school. My semester is over now, though, so hopefully I will be able to post again soon.**

**Please review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

The Black Order was bustling with the unexpected return of three exorcists and their general. It was a rare occurrence that an assignment be disrupted by the return of those who should be out executing the mission. Needless to say, we had caused quite a stir with our appearance.

Nurse had been busy restocking supplies when I showed up, and had needed to open numerous stores in order to treat both mine and Kanda's injury. Kanda, of course, had resisted all treatment, but eventually he had given in when Komui had offered to treat his wound. With the addition of two injured exorcists, Nurse was quite stressed. She still had much inventory to complete, not to mention the treatment of all the members of the Science Department who had fallen guinea pig to Komui's latest invention, which had something to do with zombies.

The Science Department was in preparation of what they assumed would be a huge assignment that was coming up. I didn't know much of the details, limited as I was in hearing information while Nurse continued to restrict my visitors, but I did manage to learn that a number of exorcists were being sent on this new assignment. Someone had learned information that the Earl was planning something in Japan. Edo, to be exact. As soon as Kanda and I were on our feet again, we would join the others there, along with Mari and Tiedoll.

Now, I was sitting up in my hospital bed, pleading with Nurse.

"Please," I begged, literally wrapping my fingers together and shaking the fist in front of me, desperate.

"I don't think so," she replied, moving down a bed to strip the sheets. I sighed.

"It won't be for long, and I'll take Kanda with me. He'll keep me safe."

"The Order is a dangerous place for an injured exorcist, such as yourself. With all of those crazy experiments that Komui does, I couldn't keep my conscience guilt free if something else happened to you. And besides, Kanda is injured as well."

"Then I'll bring Lavi along too. Please Nurse. I'm going stir crazy in here. You'll be helping me get better more quickly. I need to walk around, get some fresh air. Please."

"Well," she said, and I could see her doubt fading, "all right. I'll have someone retrieve Kanda and Lavi for you. Now lie back down and rest until they get here."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," I said, easing back onto my pillow. And so it was that about a half an hour later, Kanda and Lavi strolled through the infirmary doors. They were arguing about something, but as soon as they came through the doors, Lavi rushed ahead. Kanda glared at Lavi.

"Val!" Lavi cried, plopping himself down on the bed, causing it to shake. I winced as the movement sent a shot of pain through my chest. Nurse, seeing this, admonished Lavi. He nodded solemnly and begged forgiveness, winking at me while Nurse wasn't paying attention. I stifled the giggles rising in me, but that only served to add more pain.

By this point, Kanda was at my side, one hand on my arm. Lavi glanced at Kanda's hand, and I saw a shadow cross over his face. But it just as quickly went away, and Lavi was once again grinning at me.

"Now, if she begins to look pale, or complains of pain, bring her straight back to me," Nurse said to Kanda and Lavi. Kanda gave one sharp nod of consent.

"No harm will befall our fair maiden whilst I am around!" Lavi cried gallantly. I laughed again at his silly nature.

Nurse looked skeptical, as if she highly doubted two teenage boys would be able to care for an injured girl, even though they were trained exorcists. But, she sent us on our way without further instructions, stating only that she had a lot of work to do, and if I came back harmed, Lavi and Kanda would be the next two in the hospital.

We left the infirmary and once out the doors, Kanda and Lavi both began walking in separate directions. I stood, rooted to the spot in front of the infirmary doors.

"Val," Lavi called. "Come on. I thought we could walk to the library."

"Che. As if she wants to read books with you."

"Well I doubt she wants to go to the training floor with you either, Yuu."

Both Kanda and Lavi had strode back to where I was standing. Lavi had his arms crossed over his chest, and Kanda's hand was dangerously close to the hilt of his katana.

"Che. Like you know what she wants."

"I think I have a better idea, yes."

"Baka usagi, I'll slice you into pieces."

"I'd like to see you try."

Both Kanda and Lavi had drawn their Innocence.

"_Stop!_" I yelled. They both turned to me, as if they had forgotten I was there. "I don't know what this is about, but it needs to stop. We are comrades! Why are you arguing? And I don't want to go to the training floor," I said.

"HA!"

"Or the library."

"Oh," Lavi said.

"I'd like to take a nice walk on the grounds. The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day."

While Lavi's expression had changed back to one of happiness from confusion, no change had come over Kanda's features. He simply began walking toward the grounds, knowing that we would follow.

There were only a few clouds dotting the sky, and a slight breeze cooled what would have been an otherwise stifling day. Kanda and Lavi were now ahead of me, and the sounds of argument drifted back to me, although I was too far away to understand anything of what they were saying. I was lolling behind, walking at a leisurely pace, just happy to finally be out of the infirmary and stretching my legs.

KANDA P.O.V

Lavi was seriously starting to piss me off. I wanted to punch him, right in the nose, and hopefully break it. But I knew that I couldn't do that, because Val was right behind us, and then I would get in trouble with her, instead of Lavi, who was actually the one being an asshole, not me.

"All I'm saying is," he began, and I tried really hard to stifle the rage building up inside of me, "that you could have prevented her from getting injured."

"You weren't there. You don't know what happened."

"I would have protected her."

"Che." I had my arms crossed over my chest, my hands balled into fists so tightly that my nails were digging into the soft skin of my palms. I didn't want to have this conversation, especially with this baka usagi. I already knew that I should have, and probably could have, prevented Val from getting hurt. I glanced back over my shoulder at her, where she had stopped to smell some flowers that were growing on the trees. She saw me watching her and smiled at me. I turned away.

"You're not the only one who loves her."

These words almost stopped me cold in my place. I glared at Lavi. "What?"

"You. Are. Not. The. Only. One. Who. Loves. Her."

"And what do you mean by that?" I asked angrily. I was not surprised by his gall, although it still made me angry enough to want to kill him. Literally kill him.

"Oh, nothing. Just that I love her too."

"Well, unfortunately for you, she loves me."

"And she told you this?" Lavi asked, skeptical.

"Che. I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Well, I don't really believe you anyway. And even if she had said that, it would be easy enough to sway her over to me."

That was it. I felt the anger inside of me boil over, and the chains holding it back broke. Lavi was on the ground in half a second. His nose was bleeding, and I could see the retaliation in his eyes. He jumped up from the ground, the minor injury nothing compared to the pain he had been through throughout his numerous missions. He invoked his Innocence, and I was soon flying through the air, having been hit with Odzuchi Kodzuchi. I crashed into stone, realizing that the force of the impact with Lavi's Innocence (I realized the irony of this; Lavi had no innocence left in any bone of his body. Disgusting idiot) had sent me flying into the Black Order's walls.

I could hear Val's cries for us to stop, but I ignored them. I unsheathed Mugen, and sent Hell's Insects flying toward Lavi. He managed to fight most of them off, but a few succeeded in giving a nasty bite. Still, I felt little satisfaction.

By now, Val had abandoned all cries for us to stop our battle. She realized that it wasn't likely that our war would stop. We were dodging all attempts at impact with our weapons, when finally, Lavi abandoned his. He threw it to the side, and launched himself at me. It wasn't long before Mugen was laying in the grass, our primary weapon now our bodies.

I thought I had the upper hand, when I heard Val's voice again. "Kanda, stop!" she yelled. I paused, and Lavi took advantage of my momentary distraction. He punched me, in the exact spot where Lulu Bell had injured me. I doubled over in pain, but only briefly. Then, I attempted to attack the spineless little devil.

"Why you-" I began, but I was cut off. Someone grabbed hold of my jacket, pulling me back.

"That is enough!" yelled a familiar voice. Komui had appeared, and I realized that Val must have gone to get someone to intervene.

I looked behind me, and saw that it was Mari who was restraining me. Bookman was restraining Lavi. General Tiedoll was standing next to Komui, and he had a look of disappointment on his face, an expression that mirrored Val's. Much to my surprise, I actually felt ashamed.

"I cannot believe you two. We do not encourage fighting among our kind. Our numbers are small enough as it is. Fighting is only condoned when done on the battlefield or on the training floor. Your behavior is despicable," Komui said. I showed no emotion, but inside, I felt surprised. Komui never spoke like this. It contrasted greatly with his happy-go-lucky attitude. I said nothing.

"Mari," Komui said, his tone still serious, "please escort Kanda to the infirmary. It seems as though his wound needs redressing. He's bleeding through his clothes. Bookman, you are free to go, thank you. Lavi, I believe you should go to the library; we have some books that need to be organized. Val, will you please come with me."

She nodded, walking by me toward Komui. I looked at her as she passed, but she did not turn her head. I sighed, and let Mari lead me to the infirmary. I hadn't even noticed that I was bleeding.

VAL P.O.V.

Komui and I walked through the Order toward Hevlaska. He was very interested in my Innocence and how it had evolved. I, too, was shocked by what had happened. I had hoped that Komui would have an explanation, but he seemed just as baffled as me.

"I talked with Nurse earlier," Komui said. "Your wound seems to be healing just fine, which is excellent news for us. We'll have you back on the field in no time."

"Oh. Good," I said, not really excited by this news. Komui, of course, understood my dislike of being on the field. He smiled and laid a comforting hand on my shoulder.

We took the elevator down to Hevlaska, where she seemed to be already expecting us. My assumption was indeed correct.

"Valeriya, I was wondering when I would be seeing you again," she said.

"Hello, Hev," I replied, recalling my first meeting with Hevlaska. I had been terrified.

"Hevlaska," Komui said. "We'd like for you to inspect Val's Innocence. It has evolved while she was away."

"Yes, I felt that. Let me see your Anti-akuma weapon."

I presented Hevlaska with my bow, and she touched it. Soon, the Innocence had returned to its cubic form. I waited patiently while she examined it. Finally, she returned it to me, where it once again took the shape of my new bow.

"This is a very powerful weapon," she said.

"What caused it to evolve?" asked Komui.

"I cannot say," Hevlaska replied. "Val must have shown great promise to the Innocence, or she must have shown great loyalty to the Innocence's cause."

I thought back to when we were fighting Lulu Bell. _"I will fight to keep the Innocence safe and keep you and the Earl from ever sending this world to its demise." _

I had made a promise to the Innocence, to protect it from falling into evil's hands. That was why my bow had evolved. I looked at Hevlaska, and knew that she knew what had occured in Barcelona.

"It is called 'Heaven's Archer'," she said suddenly. "You are one of the chosen people of God who will protect this earth. You are Heaven's Archer."

I gasped, unprepared for the weight of this secret to fall unto me. Komui reached out and put an arm around my shoulders.

"The battle will only get harder, Valeriya. You cannot live in fear of what is to come. You cannot live in fear of losing your comrades. Stay close to those you love. Trust in Kanda Yuu. He is stronger than even he knows. He will guide you to the truth."

Even Komui showed surprise at what Hevlaska had just said. He did not speak, but I felt his surprise in the slight start he gave, and saw it in his eyes.

What truth was Hevlaska talking about? Did Kanda even know that he would lead me there? I could feel that the winds were changing. And I wasn't ready for the change.

"Are you prepared for what lies ahead?" Hevlaska asked.

"Yes," I said, even though fear was beginning to cloud my vision. I didn't know what was to come, but I knew that it would be harder than anything that we exorcists had ever dealt with before. The Black Order didn't make anything easy anymore.

* * *

**I'm relatively happy with this chapter. I think that I did an okay job writing this one. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. And thank you to every one who has reviewed or added this story to their Favorites or Story Alerts. I really appreciate that. **

**Please review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE**

**Lavi's P.O.V**

I followed Bookman away from Kanda silently. I felt blood in my mouth and I spat it on the ground angrily. Looking back, I could see him standing with his arms crossed defiantly as Tiedoll and Mari spoke to him. He looked away, and we met each other's gaze. I glanced away, angry that I was the first to break the eye contact. I didn't have much time to be angry at Kanda, though, because a smack to the head sent me falling to the ground.

"Ow!"

"Idiot! What are you doing?" Bookman said angrily. I pushed myself up, rubbing my head as I stood up.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We are not exorcists. We are Bookmen. It is not our place to become attached."

"I'm not attached," I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets. Bookman started walking away, and I knew that he meant for me to follow. I did, reluctantly.

"I'm not an idiot, Lavi. I know what that fight was about."

"Oh, yeah?" I said sarcastically. He glared at me.

"We cannot have these relationships. I understand how you feel about the girl. But you need to forget her. Once this war is over, we will leave the Order and all its members. We will never come back, and we will take on new identities. You told me once before that you understood what it meant to become a Bookman, and that you would not regret your decision. Do not tell me that you have changed your mind."

I looked away from Bookman, knowing that the things he said were true. I said nothing.

"Lavi? Have you changed your mind?"

"No." I bit my tongue, punishing myself for the lie that I had made. I felt fresh blood pool in my mouth.

"Good. We have much work to do."

I followed him, knowing that I had made my choice and that I would never be able to change that.

**KANDA'S P.O.V.**

"Kanda, must we continue these silly arguments?" Tiedoll said. I crossed my arms. The blood flow from my wound was slowing considerably, and I knew that by the time we got to the hospital wing it would have stopped all together.

"You really need to learn to control yourself," Mari said. I said nothing.

"Che," I sighed, turning my head to the side. Lavi turned toward me at just the same moment, and our eyes met. I glared at him, channeling my anger and frustration into my eyes, hoping to make him squirm. Finally, when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, he turned away. I was glad that I was not the one to break the eye contact first.

"Are you even listening to us?" Tiedoll said. I turned back toward them, realizing that I had missed what must have been a whole speech. The hell if I cared. I shrugged.

"Gah! Yu-kun, can't you just pay attention for once! Listen to us!"

"Don't call me that." I uncrossed my arms and started walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"Yu! YU!"

I ignored their calls for me to come back. I could hear them starting after me, but I knew that if I ran from them it would make me look weak. So I kept my pace and soon Mari and Tiedoll were next to me.

"Really, Kanda, must you do that?"

"General, I think we should drop it."

"Fine. Mari, see to it that Kanda gets his wound redressed. I have much to do."

"Yes, sir." He turned and walked away from us. We continued on to the hospital in silence. I could tell that Mari was itching to say something, but I was glad that he didn't.

When Nurse saw my bloody clothes, she nearly had a fit. When she asked about how my wound had reopened, I didn't care to elaborate as to what had happened. She took my bloodstained shirt and disposed of it, then rewrapped the wound on my stomach. When she saw that it was nearly closed after so little time, her face dropped. When she looked at me, I turned away, unwilling to see the sympathy and the sadness in her eyes. Only a few people knew about my ability to heal so quickly, and she was one of them. I knew that it caused her pain.

She had just finished wrapping the bandages around my torso when the infirmary doors opened. Komui and Val walked in. When Val looked at me I saw her face get red. She was angry. I walked away and left the infirmary, ignoring Komui's calls saying that he wanted to speak with me. I didn't want to talk with anyone.

I walked through the halls of the Order, managing to avoid everyone. Once I entered the main hall, I waited cautiously until it was deserted before sneaking into a deserted hallway that had taken quite a beating. I moved quickly and silently down the hallway, not wanting to be seen or heard. At the end of the hallway, I opened a dilapidated door and entered a room, shutting the door tightly behind me.

The piano in the center of the room looked incredibly alone. I walked over to it, letting my fingers trail over the cool keys. I sat down on the bench, bringing my right foot forward so that it was resting on the sustaining pedal. I rested my fingertips on the keys and leaned my body slightly forward, ready to lose myself. I played a few scales absently. I tinkered around, playing random little songs that didn't really mean anything. Then I stopped, suddenly engrossed in my memory of what happened earlier with Lavi. I felt my blood begin to boil, my body temperature rising. My hands began to shake and suddenly I felt really horrible. I loathed him. I hated the sight of that baka usagi.

My hands began to move across the keys, my fingers pounding out notes. I let my body be taken over by the notes. I could feel myself rocking as I threw myself into every pitch I played. All of my frustration and anger was being poured into the piano. With every note I played I felt a little bit of my frustration flow away. I played for what felt like hours. Finally, my playing slowed into more relaxing songs. Eventually I trickled into Val's lullaby. Emotion flowed into the piece, making it more beautiful and haunting than before.

**Val P.O.V.**

Nurse wanted me to rest more after my meeting with Hevlaska, but I knew that I couldn't. I had just talked to Lavi, and he had been no help in understanding what had happened. I needed to find Kanda and talk to him. I didn't want to; I was feeling a little resentful towards him and Lavi, but I knew that if I didn't go now, I would just grow more resentful and upset.

I was lying on a hospital bed close to the infirmary doors, waiting for the perfect moment to make my escape. I waited until Nurse went into her office and closed the door behind her. I quickly got out of the bed, my slippers already on my feet, and grabbed my dressing gown from where it was resting over the back of a chair. I slipped quietly out of the hospital wing and quickly walked down the hall. I turned the corner just as I heard the doors open behind me, Nurse calling my name.

I tried Kanda's room first. The door was unlocked, but he wasn't in there. I walked in, and looked around the room. The floor was clean, the bed pristinely made. The only sign of life was a cup of tea sitting on the table in the room. I walked over and picked it up. The cup was cold to the touch. Sighing, I set it down and left the room.

I made my way to the cafeteria. By the time I got there, my chest was beginning to feel a little sore. I ignored the pain as I opened the door. The sound of conversation greeted me, and I knew already that Kanda wouldn't be in here. I sighed again, ready to leave. I turned around, but a cool hand grabbed onto my wrist lightly, keeping me from leaving.

"Val? Shouldn't you be in the infirmary?"

I looked at the hand on my wrist and looked up into Lenalee's face. "Yeah. I just thought I'd come here and get some tea."

Lenalee raised her eyebrows, seeing through my lie. "Come on then," she said, leading me to the line. We waited in silence, and when we got to the front of the line, Lenalee asked Jerry for three cups of tea, instead of two. I looked at her, confused. She took the tray and walked toward the door. I followed. Once out of the cafeteria she turned toward me and handed me the tray, taking one cup off of it and bringing it to her lips.

"I saw him leave the infirmary a while ago. He didn't notice me. I don't know where he was going. I haven't seen him since."

"Oh."

"I expect that he might appreciate the tea. Well, I have a mission with Allen and the others. We are going to Edo. See you." She started to walk away.

"Lenalee!"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks. And good luck," I said. She smiled and nodded, before continuing on her way.

I started in the opposite direction, knowing exactly where I would find Kanda. The abandoned experiment hall looked even more eerie than before. As I walked down it, I could hear the faint sounds of a piano growing louder. I paused at the door, before opening it carefully. I closed it quietly behind me and watched.

Kanda was sitting at the piano, playing with his entire body. I watched him throw himself into the keys as he played songs that must have mirrored his emotions. They had strong baselines and were angry sounding. I felt my eyes well with tears. Finally, he paused, and I thought that maybe he had heard me draw in a shaky breath. But instead he began to play softer, sadder sounding songs. His body rocked back and forth with the beat, and I knew that if I walked over to stand in front of him, his eyes would be closed. He had been taken over by the music. I picked up our tea, and began to walk over, when he started to play a familiar song. My lullaby was more beautiful than I remembered it. He was playing it with different emotions than he had when he first showed me the song. It made my heart stop.

Suddenly, Kanda slammed his fist down on the keys, creating an unpleasant dissonance. I jumped, knocking over the tray with the tea. The sound alarmed him, and Kanda stood up quickly, and turned around, his hand on Mugen. When he saw me, he relaxed his grip and sat back down. I stood up.

"I brought you tea, but…" I trailed off, gesturing to the chipped cup and the tea that was now flowing across the floor.

"Thanks."

**Kanda's P.O.V.**

I sat back down. I didn't say anything. Val stood there, her right arm across her torso, her hand holding her left arm, which was hanging by her side. I didn't say anything. I knew she was angry and upset. I didn't want to have this conversation. I wouldn't be able to explain. So I said nothing still and just watched her.

**Val's P.O.V.**

He didn't say anything, just sat back down. He didn't continue to play the piano, just sat there with his back straight. I crossed one arm over my chest, grabbing onto my upper arm with my right hand. I didn't know where to start, and his posture suggested defiance. I knew Kanda. I could tell that he didn't want to talk to me about what had happened, but I needed to talk. I needed to understand why. How else could we have closure and be able to move on?

I closed the distance between us, and he moved over on the bench, making room for me to sit down. I perched myself on the edge, keeping a little distance between us. If he was stung or hurt by this, Kanda didn't show it. He looked at me, a bit of a hard edge behind his eyes. They softened after a moment, and he reached out to place an arm around my waist, pulling me farther onto the bench. Then he let go.

"If you fell off," he began, "and hurt yourself, I think Nurse would strangle me."

"What happened today?" I asked. I ignored his statement, although I found the sheepish way in which he said it to be incredibly endearing. Now was not the time to be overtaken by his good looks and rough charm.

"Nothing happened," he said. He looked me in the eyes when he said it, trying to convince me that that was the truth. Of course, I knew better.

"You and Lavi are comrades, not enemies. We all have a common goal. I don't understand why you two are fighting. Why are you two fighting?"

"No reason."

"There has to be a reason. People don't fight just for the fun of it."

"Some people do."

"No. They don't. Kanda, I know you. You only fight when you feel that you have a good reason to fight. Please, talk to me. Tell me what's going on."

He sighed. "Val. It's nothing. Really."

I stood up angrily and spun around to face him. "Nothing? _Nothing!" _I exclaimed, my voice getting shrill. "How can it be nothing? You two are so frustrating! You know I already spoke with Lavi and he was just as vague and frustrating as you are! I need answers. I'm worried about you two and I'm so confused. There must be a reason and I'm getting really mad that neither of you will tell me what's going on!"

I spun on my heel and began to walk away, giving up. If he wasn't going to tell me, then I wasn't going to waste my time trying to find out anymore. I was already going to be in enough trouble after leaving the infirmary without permission. My hand was on the doorknob.

"Val. Wait."

**Kanda's P.O.V.**

She turned her head to face me, leaving her hand on the doorknob. I sighed and stood up, covering my mouth with my fist. She always knew how to get me to do what she wanted. I hated myself for giving in.

"Kanda, if you're not going to tell me what's going on then I really don't have time for this. Nurse doesn't know I'm here, and she'll probably have a fit if I don't get back soon."

I walked over to Val and grabbed her hand. I pulled her away from the door and led her back to the piano bench. If I was going to say it, I might as well say everything. No point in holding back. It was out of character for me, but what the hell was I supposed to do?

"I love you, Val."

"I know," she said. She had her face forward, and I reached out. I placed my palm on her cheek and turned her face toward mine. Our lips met halfway.

"I love you too, Kanda," she said, "but don't think that that means you can get away with the way you've been acting. I want to know what's going on."

"Lavi's an asshole," I said. She rolled her eyes and stood up.

"If that's all you're going to say then I'm leaving."

I caught her arm and pulled her back down. "No. Don't go yet." I took a deep breath. "He thinks that it's my fault that you got injured. He says that he could have protected you, kept you from getting hurt."

She looked at me expectantly.

"And, he said…" I stopped, unsure of how to proceed. I didn't want to tell her the last part, but I knew that if I didn't she would leave and stay mad at me. And I didn't want that.

"He said?" she prompted.

"He said that I'm not the only one who loves you."

She gasped in surprise. "Who else is he talking about?"

"Val, who do you think?"

"_Lavi_? Lavi _loves_ me?" I could tell that that was not what she had been expecting.

"So he says."

"Oh my God. So that's why you two were fighting. You're worried that I would want to be with Lavi. You're_ jealous_!"

This thought seemed to make her happy. "Dammit Val! What? That makes no sense?" I said angrily. She didn't seem to care. She stood up, smiling gleefully.

"You and Lavi are jealous of each other! I can't believe it."

I stood up, nearly knocking over the bench in anger and frustration. "I am not jealous of that baka usagi. He's a complete idiot."

She nodded, although I was sure that she was only doing it for my benefit. I sat back down, running my hands through my hair.

"I was worried about you two," she said, softly. "But Kanda, don't you know that I want to be with you, forever? I would never want to leave you to be with Lavi, or anyone for that matter. You are the only person who I can see myself with. You make me whole. I love you, and no one else."

I nodded.

"I'm glad we talked about this. But you still owe me."

"Okay," I said, willing to do anything to make her happy again. "What do I have to do?"

"You have to hold my hand while we walk around the Order."

She knew how I felt about showing affection in public. I hated it. "Really?" I asked. She nodded. I sighed.

"Okay. Let's go."

We left the piano room, and as we entered the main hall of the Order, I reached down and intertwined our fingers. She smiled at me, and I managed to smile back. Anything to make her happy. Anything.

* * *

**Long time, no post. Sorry it has taken me so long. I was having writer's block, but luckily, I saw Val a while ago and she helped me decide what to do next. For those of you who don't remember, Val is a real person, and the Val in my story is based on the real Val.**

**Anyway, I realize that Kanda is out of character quite often in this story. I am sorry if that bothers. On that note, however, I'd like to say that this is not -Man. This is Silver Lining, so this is my Kanda. Kind of. He is acting in a way that I would like him to act. I'm sorry if that bothers you.**

**I think that I like how this chapter turned out, but of course I would love to know what you think. So send me a message or review the chapter and I will greatly appreciate it. :)**

**P.S. I made a playlist of the songs that I think Kanda played while he was playing piano. Feel free to search them on youtube and listen. And if you want, you can tell me what you think of the songs that he played and if they fit the mood.**

**Songs when he was mad:**

**1. Enter Sandman by Scott D. Davis (Yes it is a piano cover of a Metallica song. So are the next four.)**

**2. Master of Puppets by Scott D. Davis**

**3. Fade to Black by Scott D. Davis**

**4. Welcome Home by Scott. D. Davis**

**5. Nothing Else Matters by Scott. D. Davis**

**Songs when he began to become a little more relaxed:**

**6. The Heart Asks Pleasure First by Michael Nyman (From the movie "The Piano." This song is so beautiful.)**

**7. Big My Secret by Michael Nyman ( also from "The Piano". This one is really beautiful and sad, I think.)**

**8. Val's Lullaby by Me! (I really need to post this one for you guys, but I can never get a perfect recording. I'll keep trying though. Maybe someday.)**


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